Malone's Wide World of Sports

Super Bowl XLVI Preview

2012-02-05T11:44:00.009-06:00

In a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, this game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, has a few story lines. First, will Eli Manning win his 2nd ring, this one in his brother's home? Second, will the Patriots get their revenge on the Giants? It's also a rematch from earlier in the season, in which Eli Manning shocked the Foxboro faithful with a last second game winning TD pass. These questions will all be answered in a mere few hours.

This game is simply going to come down to both team's defenses. I'm not saying this will be a defensive struggle, sans LSU and Alabama, but the game will hinge on these two defenses. Can the New England Patriots finally step up and stop somebody? Their secondary is atrocious, as they are the worst in the league at stopping the pass, and in the bottom half of the league in stopping the run. If the secondary doesn't come too play today for New England, Eli Manning could have another good game like he had in Week 9, when he beat the Patriots 24-20.

On the defensive side for the Giants, it's going to be all about pressure, pressure, and more pressure. The talented, quick, and explosive front 4 for the Giants will have to get to Brady early and often tonight if they expect to win. Their secondary also isn't one of the bests, as they are near the backside of stopping the pass but the explosiveness of the defensive line, helps the struggling secondary out. Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora lead the pass rush for the Giants and if they harass Brady, I don't see anyway the Giants don't win a second super bowl in 4 years.

Offensively for the Patriots, they're going to be without a healthy Rob Gronkowski. Gronk who will play tonight, hasn't gone full speed in two weeks, due to a high ankle sprain he suffered in the AFC Championship. With Gronk being Brady's favorite target, Tom Terrific will need to look to spread it around even more so tonight and get other guys involved. Aaron Hernandez will have an even bigger role today than usual, but I think we'll see him get carries out of the backfield more so than he did versus the Broncos. Could we possibly see a breakout game in Chad Ochocinco's first Super Bowl? While we probably won't see a huge game for him, he could help the Patriots move the chains and sustain drives.

When the two teams met earlier in the season, there was no Bradshaw, Hicks, or Osi, and they are all healthy tonight, and there's too much fire power on both sides of the ball, and they are playing the best ball of the two teams.

Prediction: New York Giants: 35 New England Patriots : 24
MVP: Victor Cruz (2 TD's)

Does Anyone Even Care About the Pro Bowl?

2012-01-25T16:55:00.003-06:00

Every year the NFL's best meet in Hawaii for the annual Pro Bowl. While you think this game would be full of excitement and talent, I find it to be neither exciting, or at times worth watching. In my opinion, there is too many rules, and the way it's now set up, not even the league's best are in the game. Three years ago, the league moved the game to the week before the Super Bowl, changing from the normality of the week after the Super Bowl. With the game now being the week before the Super Bowl, some of the league's best players miss out on the Pro Bowl, while less accepting players, take their spots.

This year, Patriots', Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Logan Mankins, Brian Waters, Andre Carter, Vince Wilfork, and Matthew Slater will miss the game for the AFC squad. While on the NFC squad, Eli Manning and Jason Pierre-Paul, will miss out on this year's game. Andy Dalton will be the replacement quarterback for Tom Brady, and I'm not sure I agree with it. While Dalton had a good rookie season, leading the Bengals to the playoffs, was he really the 4th best QB in the AFC? He was the 9th best statistical quarterback in the AFC, and a few others, in my opinion were more deserving.

The Pro Bowl is the only major sports all-star game that has lower ratings than their regular season. Another issue with the Pro Bowl, is the selection of the teams. The fans vote makes up 1/3 of the voting and often times, teams in large markets, will have more players in the game, because of the number of fans. Being in a small market, it's a disadvantage to these players, because they don't get the same exposure as players in New York or Dallas.

The next issue is all the rule changes that take place in the Pro Bowl. It's not even a football game being played in my opinion. These are rules that take place only in the Pro Bowl:

No motion or shifting by the offense
Offense must have a tight end in all formations
Offense can’t have 3 receivers on a side
Intentional grounding is legal
Defense must run a 4-3 at all times
No press coverage except inside the 5 yard line
No blitz
Not allowed to rush a Punt, PAT or FG attempt

While these rules are put in to make the game safer, it also takes away from the competition as well. With even the removal of just these rules, the game could become more competitive. I think the NFL should remove the following rules:

No motion or shifting by the offense
Offense must have a tight end in all formations
Intentional grounding is legal
Defense must run a 4-3 at all times
No blitz
Not allowed to rush a Punt, PAT or FG attempt

While I'm not saying the "No Blitz," rule needs to be completely abolished, I think you could allow certain types of blitzes. By allowing no blitzes, and no press coverage, and forcing defenses into basically running loose zones, it basically becomes a 7 on 7 drill with the men up front not doing much, with the defense often getting burned, giving up an easy touchdown. If the NFL can either eliminate some of these rules, or even modify them, the game would instantly become more competitive and should gain more viewers, which in turn can help increase the ratings.

Was Fielder Worth It??

2012-01-25T16:03:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, Prince Fielder agreed in terms to a deal with the Detroit Tigers, totaling $214 million dollars over 9 years. Many people were shocked to see Fielder sign with the Tigers, as Tigers GM, Dave Dombrowski recently said "Of course we'd consider Prince Fielder, but realistically it's probably not a good fit. We anticipate Victor Martinez coming back in 2013 and playing at the level he was at last season. I would just say the fit is really not there at this point." So if it wasn't a good fit, what changed?

Following the announcement, most of the national media, wondered what the Tigers plan would be with Prince. Would he become the team's first baseman, the DH, or a little of both. With another MVP candidate, Miguel Cabrera, also a 1st baseman on the roster, people weren't sure what position they would both play. That question was quickly answered, as Cabrera, a former 3rd baseman, volunteered to move back to 3B, for the good of the team. With Cabrera going back to 3rd and Fielder opposite of Cabrera at 1st, the Tigers now have one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball, even with them missing Victor Martinez. Along with a dreaded 1-2 punch in the lineup, they also get to send out the reigning MVP, Justin Verlander, every 5th day still.

So to answer the question of, "Was Fielder worth it?," I have to say absolutely. Though the contract may be a little longer than normal, I don't think the money was too much. He is an extremely durable player, missing a total of 13 games in 6 full seasons. He is a lifetime .282 hitter, averaging 37 home runs and 102 RBI's every year. With those numbers and durability whether he hits in front of or behind Cabrera, in my opinion, the Tigers are my odds on favorite to win the AL Central, as well as the American League.

Texas A&M (10-6, 1-3) at #5 Missouri (16-1, 3-1) Preview

2012-01-16T12:25:00.010-06:00

Following their defensive domination of Texas Tech on Saturday, the Aggies will look to keep that hot streak as they go into Columbia, to take on the Missouri Tigers. This will be the Aggies toughest test to date, as Missouri comes in ranked #5 in the nation, boasting a 16-1 record, the lone loss at Kansas State, 75-59. The top 15 Aggie defense will look to suffocate a Missouri offense, led by senior guard, Marcus Denmon, who's averaging 17.9 points per game. The Tigers as a team are averaging nearly 84 points a game, which is good for 4th in the nation.

If the Aggies expect to pull a shocker off on Big Monday (4:30 on ESPN) they're going to need another hot start similar to Saturday. The Aggies didn't allow a Red Raider field goal for the first 10 minutes of the game and held the Red Raiders to 17 points in the first half, leading 34-17 at the break. Aggie junior, Khris Middleton will need the hot hand again Monday as he's been the Aggies leading scorer throughout the season, averaging 13.2 PPG. They will also hope to see outside shooter Elston Turner drain a couple 3 balls, as he's the teams leading 3 point shooter. Dash Harris will need to be consistent running the Aggie offense and can not force turnovers. If he has a game similar to Saturday (11 Points, 7 Assists, 4 Steals, and 1 Rebound,) the Ags may just pull of the upset. The Aggie defense will have to put a stranglehold early on the Missouri offense, which is 2nd in the nation, shooting at 51%

The Aggies who don't go very deep on the bench, will need to be productive inside the paint, yet avoid foul trouble. With Kourtney Roberson still sidelined, senior David Loubeau, along with Keith Davis and Ray Turner will need to avoid early foul trouble, to keep the Aggies in the game.

The Aggies have beat the Tigers 8 straight meetings and hope to make it 9. Last time the Aggies visited Columbia, they snapped Missouri's 32 game home winning streak with a 77-74 win. Missouri is a tough out at home as they are a tough 61-3 at home over the last 4 years.

Prediction: Missouri: 75 Texas A&M: 61

What A Weekend!

2012-01-15T20:46:00.017-06:00

What a weekend it was indeed, in the National Football League. Out of the 4 games this weekend, as expected we had 3 thrillers, and 1 snoozer which wasn't close from the opening kickoff. We saw the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, and Baltimore Ravens all hold serve at home, while the defending Super Bowl Champion, Green Bay Packers were sent packing for the winter.

San Francisco 49ers: 36 New Orleans Saints: 32

I believe I said in my preview post, this was setting up to be the game of the weekend, and boy did these two teams not disappoint us! When the Saints turned the ball over 3 times in the first 15 minutes, and the Niners jumped out to a 17-0 lead, everyone seemed to think this may not ever be close. Thanks to Alex Smith's long 49 yard hookup to Vernon Davis, that got the 49ers out in front early 7-0. Following a Saints turnover, Alex Smith and the 49ers were able to overcome their red zone ineffectiveness, when he found Michael Crabtree for a 4 yard TD on a crucial 3rd and goal.

Then, everyone realize why you can never doubt Drew Brees! Trailing 17-0, Brees led his high powered Saints on a 75 yard drive, connecting with superstar TE, Jimmy Graham from 14 yards out to cut the lead to 17-7. Brees didn't waste much time following a 3 and out by the 49ers, he found Marques Colston on a 25 yard pass where he dropped it in on the money, and Colston toe tapped into the end zone to cut it to 17-14. As we moved through the 3rd quarter, it appeared both teams made major adjustments at the half, and after 3 quarters, a David Akers FG made it 20-14, and that's when the excitement started.

Both teams would exchange field goals early in the 4th quarter and with 7:35 to go in the game, the score stood at 23-17, San Francisco. Drew Brees was 5 of 6 and on the 9th play of the drive, he found Darren Sproles on a dump off, and Sproles did the rest. Sproles, cutting through defenders found a seam and broke free up the middle and took it 44 yards to put the Saints up 24-23, their first lead of the game. Candlestick Park became so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop, as fans were afraid the season was over. We then saw why Alex Smith was the #1 overall pick and he took this opportunity to shine. Following a 37 yard completion to Vernon Davis, Smith and his offense faced a 3rd and 8 from the Saints 28. With 2:24 left in the game, it appeared the Niners may sit on it and set up Akers for a gamewinner. We then saw Smith run a keeper to the left side and with BIG Joe Staley out in front, leading the way, Smith scampered 28 yards into the end zone, and the 49ers were back up 29-24 with just 2:11 left!

Though the 49ers had the lead, there was worry, that they may have left Brees, an MVP candidate too much time, and that they did. It took just 4 plays, and Brees hit Jimmy Graham across the middle where he shook off a defensive back and took off 66 yards, where he put the Saints back up 30-29 and put his usual emphatic dunk on the goalpost! Following a 2 point conversion to Darren Sproles, the Saints held a 32-29 lead with 1:37 left. After a shaky kick return, the 49ers started at their own 15 and needed to pick up 50 yards to just get into Akers range. After a couple of short check downs to Frank Gore, Smith made a great throw to find Vernon Davis over the middle, picking up 47 yards, and all of a sudden the 49ers were in business at the Saints 25. After a 6 yard pass to Frank Gore and a spike to stop the clock, with 14 seconds left and a 3rd and 3, Smith threw a pass through a tight window and found Vernon Davis in the endzone for the game winner! The play looked eerily similar to the 1998 TD Pass from Steve Young to Terrell Owens with 8 seconds left to beat the Packers in the playoffs, and it both resulted in the WR coming off the field crying tears of joy.

We finally saw Alex Smith show the reasoning of his #1 pick, and we saw 2 young tight ends with bright futures in Jimmy Graham and Vernon Davis. Brees finished an astonishing 40-63 for 462 yards and 4 TD's but was out shined by Alex Smith in the 4th quarter. With 1 Saturday game in the books, we headed to Foxboro.

New England Patriots: 45 Denver Broncos: 10

"If Brady gets Gronk and Welker involved early and often, look out, because I'm not sure the Broncos can stop that train." That train got started early, and it was never slowed down, as many feared it. It didn't take 2 minutes before Brady found Gronkowski for 17 yards, and then Aaron Hernandez with a carry for 43 yards, down to the 7, and Welker hauled in Brady's 1st TD of the half. The Patriots came out with a few wrinkles, as they put Hernandez in the backfield lined up next to Brady and he carried the rock and did it well. Following a Rob Ninkovich sack/strip fumble of Tebow, Brady went right back to work. This time he found Gronkowski from 10 yards out and the game was quickly getting away from Denver.

The Broncos wouldn't go away though as rookie safety, Quinton Carter, would pick off Brady and return it down to Patriots 24 yard line. 4 plays later, Willis McGahee took the zone read and scurried 5 yards into the endzone and it cut the Patriots lead in half to 14-7. That was the only drive the Broncos would truly enjoy the rest of the game. Brady, who seemed to have 5 minutes in the pocket at times, quickly drove the Pats back down again, hooking up with Gronk again, this time from 12 yards out and pushed the lead back to 21-7. Tim Tebow was just unable to get anything going as he spent most of the first half running for his life, and following another punt, Brady dialed up a new receiver. That receiver would be Deion Branch, who may have got away with a push-off that wasn't called, Brady hooked up with Branch for a 61 yard TD and this game was quickly getting further away from Tebow. Though that looked to be the end of the scoring in the 1st half, Tebow was unable to pick up a 1st down and with 1:09 left in the half, Brady and the offense got the ball back, and wouldn't disappoint the Gillette Stadium crowd. It took only 5 plays before Brady would hit Gronkowski for his 3rd TD catch of the half, this time from 20 yards out and the Patriots took a 35-7 lead at halftime and that was all she wrote.

Brady would connect on his 6th TD, this time to Aaron Hernandez early in the 3rd quarter, and it was 42-7. That was the end of the highlights but not the fireworks. Late in the 4th quarter, Brady would drop a 48 yard punt down to the Broncos 10, and Von Miller shoved Dan Connolly in the back, and led to a little scrapping on the Patriots sideline. Though not ejected for the foul, it earned several comments from national media writers, some saying that may cost him Defensive Rookie of the Year, to Aldon Smith. At the end of the game, it was all Patriots, winning 45-10. This may put an end to "Tebow Mania" for now, but it's bound to start back up again next year when he's "making plays" and being a "winner."

Baltimore Ravens: 20 Houston Texans: 13

As expected this game was all smash-mouth and big hits. Coming off their 1st playoff win in team history, the Texans wanted more as they headed into Baltimore. Following a huge 60 yard kickoff return by Danieal Manning, the Texans would strike early picking up 3 points off the boot of Neil Rackers. Then following a 3 and out by the Texans defense, it looked like Houston came ready to play and run the Ravens right out of their yard. After Sam Koch's booming punt, Texans returner, Jacoby Jones tried to catch it off the bounce and fumbled it, and recovered by the Ravens, Jimmy Smith at the Texans 2. The Ravens would capitalize on 3rd down punching it in, to take a 7-3 lead. The game would looked to get out of hand quickly as the Texans were unable to muster anything offensively against the stout Ravens defense and following an Anquan Boldin TD catch it was 17-3, still in the 1st quarter.

As time moved on in the 2nd quarter, Arian Foster, slowly started to get going, and TJ Yates was becoming comfortable in the pocket. Another Rackers field goal would cut the lead to 17-6. The Texans defense wouldn't let the Ravens extend that lead any further, as they forced a quick 3 and out, and the momentum looked to have shifted to the Texans sideline. Arian Foster made sure that "Uncle MO" stayed on their sideline as he took the first carry of the drive 28 yards out to the 42 yard line. The Ravens would then see a heavy dose of Arian Foster, as he would run through the Ravens vaunted run D like they were standing still. On a 3rd and goal from the 1, Foster would finally punch it in, capping off a 12 play, 91 yard drive, to push the score to 17-13.

That would be the halftime score, but also would remain the score through the entire 3rd quarter following a HUGE goal line stand by the Texans. Facing a 4th and goal from the 1/2 yard line, the Ravens looked to extend the lead, but Tim Dobbins had other plans as he stuffed Ray Rice short of the goal line and the score remained 17-13. Knowing this was going to be a defensive struggle, both teams didn't plan on letting the others score. The Texans D could only handle so much, and following TJ Yates 2nd interception of the game, the Ravens would capitalize adding 3 more points to push their lead to 7. Trailing 20-13 with 2:52 left in the game, the Texans took their chances and it looked promising. Yates found Andre Johnson for 16 yards and then again for 18 on the next play and at the 2:00 warning, the Texans were at the Baltimore 38. Yates would then make another crucial mistake on the 1st down play. It appeared he locked onto Andre from the snap and threw a fade to the end zone where Ed Reed was lurking, and he snagged his 8th career playoff interception. That appeared to be the end of the Texans line, but with 2 timeouts they forced the Ravens into a 3rd and less than a yard, and they would stuff Vonta Leach, forcing another Ravens punt, and the Texans would get the ball with 48 seconds left, at their own 48. Facing a 4th and 2, Yates threw what appeared to be a hail mary into the end zone, which fell incomplete, though it appeared to hit Kevin Walter in the arm.

The Texans battled hard, and through all the injuries, came up just a few plays short of the AFC Championship. The Ravens finished with 0 penalties and 0 turnovers, though they fumbled the ball 4 times, recovering all of them, and that may have been the difference in the outcome.

New York Giants: 37 Green Bay Packers: 20

"If there was ever a time for Eli Manning to add another notch to his elite status, this is his week to do it." Eli was definitely elite this week as he chopped up and spit out a terrible Green Bay secondary. In a game where it appeared the rust was there for many Packers, who sat out the last regular season game, followed by a bye week, the Giants looked crisp. In a 3-3 game, late in the 1st quarter, Eli found Hakeem Nicks behind the Green Bay defense for a 66 yard touchdown and that put the G-Men up 10-3. The Packers wouldn't go away though as Aaron Rodgers looked decent on the next drive hooking up with John Kuhn for an 8 yard TD to tie the game at 10. That would be as close as the game was the rest of the game. As time was running down in the 1st half, the Giants led 13-10, when they had one last play in the half. Manning would throw a jump ball to the end zone and Hakeem Nicks somehow came down with it for a 37 yard TD catch, and the defending champs trailed 20-10 at the half.

With the score at 23-13 midway through the 4th and the Pack having the ball, many people though the game wasn't over and Aaron Rodgers could take it into his own hands. Unfortunately, the Giants defense had other plans forcing a fumble and returning it down to the Packer 4 yard line. On the next play, Manning found Mario Manningham dragging across the back of the end zone, and that extended the lead to 30-13. The Pack Attack wasn't ready to go away though as Rodgers would lead the Packers down the field and find Donald Driver in the end zone on a 16 yard pass to cut the lead back to 30-20. With 4:47 left in the game, the Packers tried the onside kick, nearly recovering it, but luckily Victor Cruz was able to hold on for the Giants, and that closed the door. As the Giants looked to run the clock out, Brandon Jacobs broke one to the corner of the pylon for 16 yards, and put the Giants up 37-20.

The Giants were able to have a stable enough running game to keep the secondary of the Packers off guard. Eli finished 21-33 for 330 yards with 3 TD's. This sets up a nice rematch of the 49ers Week 10 win over the Giants 27-20.

NFL Divisional Playoff Previews

2012-01-13T22:07:00.024-06:00

It was a long 17 weeks in the NFL regular season, but following that and Wild-Card weekend, we're down to our final 8 teams in this NFL season. While everyone expected the Saints, Packers, Patriots, and Ravens to be here, we did get a few surprises. The biggest one has to be the San Francisco 49ers. Under first year head coach, Jim Harbaugh, he took what appeared to be much of the same team who finished 5-11 in 2010, to a 13-3 record, good enough for the #2 seed in the NFC. Another surprising team has to be the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow. Following a 1-4 start, new Bronco coach, John Fox, benched Kyle Orton, for often ridiculed Tim Tebow. Tebow wouldn't disappoint Fox or the Broncos faithful, going 7-4 down the stretch to win the AFC West at 8-8. That wouldn't be the end of the road for Tebow and the Broncos though, as they shocked the NFL with a 29-23 OT upset victory over the 12-4 Pittsburgh Steelers. The final surprise team is the Houston Texans, a team experiencing their first ever playoff football. With Peyton Manning out for the season, the Houston Texans saw an opportunity to capitalize on a weak AFC South division, and they did just that. That may not be the shocking thing though, as they won the AFC South along with their first ever playoff game WITHOUT Matt Schaub, Mario Williams, and also were without Andre Johnson for much of the regular season. It didn't stop there as backup quarterback, Matt Leinart didn't even last a half before breaking his collarbone in his first start against Jacksonville. The Texans are being led by a 3rd string rookie, out of North Carolina, TJ Yates.

Of this weekends 4 games, 3 are rematches, and all 4 look to be very compelling...

Denver Broncos (9-8) at New England Patriots (13-3)

While no one expected this to be one of the AFC Divisional matchup's, that's what we've got. The Broncos arrived here versus New England via Tim Tebow and what I called the "Miracle at Mile High." On the first play of overtime, Tim Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas on a short 10 yard drag route, in which Thomas then took an additional 70 yards to win the game 29-23. The Patriots got here via the arm of Tom Brady, who threw for 5,235 yards this year, and helped lead the Patriots to a 13-3 record, despite having one of the league's worst defenses. While the Patriots pass defense finished 31st in the league, Brady and his offense picked up the slack with the 2nd best passing attack, just behind Drew Brees and the Saints.

In the rematch of these two teams, I'm afraid we could see a lot of what we saw in the first match-up, which the Patriots won 41-23 in Denver. That would be a close game for the first quarter and a half, then Tom Terrific and company take over. While the Patriot secondary may not be top notch, they may be able to do just enough to force Tebow into terrible decisions. While he had his career best game throwing last week, I don't think he'll be able to match that performance again this week. Knowing Bill Belichick and how he prepares, him and his staff will create several looks Tebow hasn't seen, and should be able to force a few careless throws, resulting in turnovers.

On the other side of the ball, I look for a tough Denver defense to get after Tom Brady. With Elvis Dumervil on one side and rookie sensation, Von Miller, on the other side, I'm expecting to see tons of blitz packages from Dennis Allen's defense. In the first matchup they only sacked Brady twice and hit him a total of three times. If they want to keep this game close at all, they better get after Brady, and get after him quick, or it could be another huge day for Brady and company. It'll also be interesting to see how Brady looks to get his 2 favorite targets, Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski involved as they were fairly quiet in the first matchup, while Aaron Hernandez ran loose. If Brady gets Gronk and Welker involved early and often, look out, because I'm not sure the Broncos can stop that train. With Eric Decker out after taking a crushing hit from Steelers LB James Harrison, and Brian Dawkins still suffering from a neck issue, the Broncos may not have enough to pull off a second straight shocker.

Prediction: New England: 34 Denver: 10

New Orleans Saints (14-3) at San Francisco 49ers (13-3)

In Saturday's other divisional playoff game, we are seeing the high powered New Orleans Saints visit the stingy San Francisco 49ers. In my opinion, this is setting up to be the best game of the weekend, as we see the top offense have to leave it's comfort zone of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and head west to face one of the top defenses in the NFL.

Led by Drew Brees, the high octane offense of the Saints will look to do what just one other team did versus the 49ers at home, and that's win. Only the Dallas Cowboys, in Week 2, beat the 49ers at home and even that was a 27-24 loss in OT. Brees will look to sling it all over the field to his tight end, Jimmy Graham, but also his other targets, Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, and Robert Meachem. Not only will Brees want to get the ball to those 4 guys, he'll look to hit Darren Sproles coming out of the backfield. An integral part of their red zone offense, will miss his 2nd straight week, and that is Lance Moore, who's out with a hamstring injury. While the Saints ground game isn't too shabby either, the San Francisco defense has only allowed 1 rush TD all year, and isn't even giving up 80 yards on the ground, per game, and may force the Saints to rely on the pass even more.

When the Saints offense is on the sidelines, they will look to their rush defense to stop 1200 yard runner, Frank Gore, who's headed to his 4th Pro Bowl. Led by Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Jon Vilma, the Saints will need to put Alex Smith and the Niner offense in a spot where they must throw the ball. If the Saints can jump on the 49ers early and take Frank Gore pretty much out of the game plan, they can win this game. That still may not be enough, as Alex Smith, finally was able to have a productive year, and put the "bust" comments aside. He will look to get the ball to Michael Crabtree and also his star-studded tight end Vernon Davis. If he is able to do that, the Saints D might just be in trouble. The biggest issue the 49ers will have to overcome, if they expect to win Saturday is scoring TD's in the red zone. Often this year, the offense has gone into a funk, and settled for 3 points, after getting in the red zone and it may come back to haunt them this weekend. The Saints must also overcome a thing that's haunted them this year, and that's the outdoors. While the forecast looks to be calm and clear tomorrow, the Saints and Drew Brees have still had their issues outside of the 'Dome.

Prediction: San Francisco: 24 New Orleans: 17

New York Giants (10-7) at Green Bay Packers (15-1)

In the 2nd NFC matchup, we have a rematch of what was one of the best games of the regular season. In Week 13, the Giants took Rodgers and the Packers down to the wire, before bowing out with a 38-35 loss. Rodgers who had been questioned by one, Skip Bayless, about his ability to perform late in a game, put that to rest as he took the field with a minute left and the game tied at 35. 4 plays later, Rodgers stood on the sideline as he watched Mason Crosby win the game with a field goal, silencing his critics for the moment.

While the Saints/49ers game might be the best of the weekend, this one may not be too far behind it. The Giants have come on strong, winning 4 of their last 5, including a 24-2 shellacking of the Atlanta Falcons last weekend. The resurgence of the Giants has not been just the elite play of Eli Manning, but also the front 4 of the Giants defense. Led by Jason Pierre-Paul, the D-Line has been manhandling offensive lines and crushing quarterbacks. If they plan on getting to the NFC Championship next week, they must get to Rodgers early and often, and make him uncomfortable, while scanning the field. With little to no running game, if Rodgers is hit a lot by JPP, Tuck, and Umenyiora, it could be a quick out for the Green Bay Packers title defense.

If there was ever a time for Eli Manning to add another notch to his elite status, this is his week to do it. While he will have to deal with near freezing temps at kickoff, he should be able to have his way throwing the ball against the league's worst pass defense, which allows 300 yards a game. If you add that along with the successful rushing attack, the Giants have had the last few weeks, the Giants may be able to pull out a win much like the 2007 NFC Championship game which featured temps below ZERO degrees. Last week, Bradshaw and Jacobs were able to combine for a 155 yards against the Falcons, and if they can manage anything near that production again, Eli will definitely look like an elite quarterback. Although Eli may still put up huge numbers, people must realize that the MVP and defending Super Bowl Champ is on the other sideline, and they must elevate their game even more if the Giants want to head to the NFC Championship game.

Prediction: Green Bay: 38 New York Giants: 28

Houston Texans (11-6) at Baltimore Ravens (12-4)

In this game, there will be tons of smash-mouth run plays mixed in with jaw dropping hits. The surprise Houston Texans head to Baltimore with the best runner in the league paired with a top defense. The Ravens won't be denied though as they also bring in a top running back, with Ray Rice, and a defense that is always near the top in all categories. It's another re-match as the two teams will hook up again after the Ravens won in Week 6, 29-14. This game will have a much different look as the Texans are without Matt Schaub, but will have Andre Johnson back in the lineup, for the 2nd consecutive week.

Arian Foster will look to duplicate last week's performance as he racked up 155 yards and 2 scores on the ground against the Bengals. It will be tough to do as he faces the 2nd best rush defense in the league led up front by Haloti Ngata and Terrance Cody. That's not the end of the Ravens D though as they will also bring Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and "Ball So Hard University's" Terrell Suggs off the edges and over the top. In the season's earlier matchup, Foster struggled to get going as he only mustered 49 yards rushing but had 52 yards catching. While Foster looks to get going, it will almost be mandatory, if they expect to win, because everyone will expect to see the Ravens D be blitz happy trying to get after rookie QB TJ Yates. Yates who has struggled as of late, looked to be relaxed last week and was able to open up the playbook because of Foster's success. If they are able to make that happen again, Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels could have huge days, as the Raven D will be unsure of what's coming at them.

Wade Phillips and his revamped Houston Texans defense will have their hands full when they take the field Sunday afternoon. Led by Brian Cushing, Demeco Ryans, and Connor Barwin, they will look to slow Ray Rice, similar to Week 6, where they kept Rice in check, until the 4th quarter. Rice finished with 101 yards on the ground, but picked up 62 of those yards in the 4th quarter, as the Texans D was worn down by the Ravens up front. Another thing the Texans must look out for is Torrey Smith. Joe Flacco loves to take shots down the field in Smith's direction, and the Texans can often allow someone behind the defense and if that happens, Flacco and Smith can have an easy 6. If Rice is unable to get his yards, it can put Flacco in a jam as the Texans will look to turn up the heat and get Flacco on his back. Connor Barwin and rookie stud JJ Watt will have to be strong off the edges in both the run defense as well as passing situations.

I love my Texans, but I'm afraid the Ravens (8-0 at home) will be too much and the crowd could play a large factor in the outcome. In what could be Ray Lewis' last chance at getting a ring, the defense could play even more inspired behind Lewis, and if that's the case, TJ Yates could be in trouble and on his back often.

Prediction: Baltimore: 24 Houston: 14 (I HOPE I'M WRONG)

I'm Back!!

2012-01-13T22:04:00.002-06:00

It's been a long 2 and a half years but I've decided to bring the blog back. I've missed doing the sports blogging, and there's no better time to get back into it then on the NFL Divisional Playoff Weekend!

Malone

What Scares Padres Kyle Blanks?

2009-07-02T21:29:00.004-05:00

If you were tuning into ESPN, or the Houston Astros vs San Diego Padre game Thursday afternoon, you saw quite a show in the 9th inning. With the 4 RBI day by Geoff Blum, the Astros led 6-1 in the top of the 9th with 2 outs, when all of a sudden Kyle Blanks started walking towards the Padre dugout from left field. Blanks, a rookie, has to be one of the largest players in the game, standing at six-foot-six and weighs 285 pounds.

When the camera got out to left field we all saw what was scaring Kyle Blanks. It was a swarm of about 2000 bees. Anything but a "small" swarm, though the Padres video board had other thoughts. The players were all pulled off the field and play was halted, as the teams had to wait on a beekeeper. Luckily for both teams, Padres head groundskeeper, has a beekeeper on speed dial, and came in contact with one very quick. After about a 35 minute delay he arrived on scene to a standing ovation and took care of the ballgirls jacket which was where the queen bee was hiding and where the 2000 bees swarmed too. While it took the keeper only 30 minutes to get there, it took him 30 seconds to dispose of the trouble. He came out double barreled and shot all the bees down and carried them off.

The game picked up after a 52 minute delay and no one was injured with the exception of the bees, which were all killed. The Astros went on to win the game 7-2.

Take a look at the debacle here (video will start automatically on the right along with highlights): http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=290702125

NBA Free Agency Moves/Trades

2009-07-02T19:45:00.005-05:00

The NBA free agency market opened Wednesday night at midnight and a lot has happened. Before the market even opened up though, a few trades made big news. The San Antonio Spurs acquired Richard Jefferson for free basically. They were forced to give up Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto, which is basically nothing, minus the defense of Bruce Bowen, which was not always great at times.

Another big splash came from the east coast as Eastern Conference Champion, Orlando Magic, acquired Vince Carter for Rafer Alston, rookie sensation Courtney Lee, and Tony Battie. This has set the Magic up to look for another trip to the NBA Finals, even if they don't re-sign Hedo Turkoglu, which it appears they won't even have a shot at.

With those trades happening, free agency has also begin. The first big move has taken place as Ron Artest has as expected leave the Houston Rockets, but ended up with the LA Lakers. It appeared as the Cavaliers were the front runner for the Queens Bridge native, but seemed to be influenced by Lamar Odom, a free agent, who also is looking like he will re-sign with the Lakers. ESPN's Chris Broussard is reporting Artest deal is worth 18 million over 3 years. With Artest choosing the Lake Show, and Odom probably getting what he wants, and staying in LA, there has to be an odd man out. That odd man out appears to be Trevor Ariza. Ariza has met with a few teams, including the Houston Rockets today in Las Vegas. Apparently the meeting went very well, and we all hope he chooses Houston. Other teams vying for Ariza, include Portland, Toronto, Cleveland, and LA Clippers. Ariza is wanting 8 million out of the Lakers, but after saying they'd only give him the MLE of 5.5 he wasn't thrilled. The Lakers have reportedly raised their offer to 6.5, but aren't going higher. The Lakers are frustrated with Ariza's agent, David Lee, who also represents Laker center Andruw Bynum, and they ran into problems with his negotiations last year.

Another big name free agent is also out there, in Rasheed Wallace. The Boston Celtics sent their guns ablazing today as they attempt to pull Sheed into Boston and make it the big 4 instead of 3. The Globe, citing a single NBA source, said that Celtics managing partner Wyc Grousbeck, team president Danny Ainge, coach Doc Rivers, and the "Big 3," Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen for over 3 hours. The Celtics have reportedly offered Wallace a contract using the mid-level exception. The Spurs are also trying to bolster their team and have attempted to pull in Wallace as well.

Jason Kidd, also a free agent has been getting more attention then expected. The New York Knicks, are now in a war with the Mavericks for the services of Kidd. Earlier in the week the Dallas Mavericks revealed their offer with Kidd over 3 years. Tonight the New York Knicks have also reportedly offered Kidd a 3 year deal. It appears though Kidd might be headed for the north though to join the Knickerbockers.

After the news of Yao Ming being out for the year and maybe longer, they looked to acquire a big man. Rockets GM Daryl Morey didn't waste any time, and as soon as the market opened, he was on the door step of Magic backup center, Marcin Gortat. Gortat displayed great skills in the time Dwight Howard missed, and Morey gave Gortat an e-mail, Rocket fans could write to, and the very next morning, Gortat had received over 2,000 e-mails as fans asked him to please come be a star in a Rocket uniform. It was looking as if that would happen until Maverick owner, Mark "I have too much money" Cuban came swooping in and it appears as Gortat will sign with the Mavericks.

It should be an interesting off-season as teams look to improve, and also possibly cut salary to get ready for the 2010 sweepstakes.

WOW, Missed Quite A Bit

2009-07-02T19:39:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the delay but here's a quick recap since last Thursday..

LSU shows Texas the true meaning of gorilla ball and crushes the Horns in Game 3 behind the bat of Jared Mitchell and the arm of Anthony Ranaudo.

The Yankees must've read my blog, in particular A-Rod. He's come on strong lately, hitting .435 with 4 home runs over the last 7 games, in which the Yankees have all won.

Blake Griffin went as expected #1 in the NBA Draft, and the T-Wolves drafted 4 PG's in the 1st round, including Ricky Rubio. Rubio, the 5th overall pick, may still not be a Timberwolve, as he may stay in Spain. Why enter the draft then?

NBA Free Agency is open and splashes have been made..(More coming in next entry)

RIP to the King of Pop

2009-06-25T17:40:00.000-05:00

Michael Jackson dead at the age of 50..they come in threes..RIP to Micheal Jackson, Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett..

SHAQ TO THE CAVS!

2009-06-24T23:31:00.002-05:00

Official report on Yahoo.com..

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AkYSz8XB1plSfzMNSLEDvL45nYcB?slug=aw-shaq062409&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached an agreement in principle to acquire Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal (notes), a league source told Yahoo! Sports late Thursday night.

Cleveland will send Ben Wallace (notes), Sasha Pavlovic (notes), the 46th pick in Thursday’s draft and cash to the Suns for O’Neal.

More to come later..

Sorry, Just because You Have $$, the League Won't Lay Down For You

2009-06-24T14:30:00.002-05:00

When the New York Yankees signed C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett in the offseason, everyone expected the Bronx Bombers to cruise to another division crown and more than likely their 27th World Championship. The Yankees have a payroll of 201,449,189 million dollars, and are still not playing their best baseball.

Well this team hasn't been all it's made out to be. The Yankees are sitting in a tie for 2nd with the Toronto Blue Jays at a respectable 38-32, but are 5 GB of the Boston Red Sox. Alex Rodriguez was forced to miss nearly 2 months with an injury, and is back and playing, but was recently benched for two games, due to his "fatigue", settling in. Let's just be blunt Joe Giradi, he's SLUMPING. Following an 0 for 4 night Tuesday night vs. Atlanta, A-Rod is now flirting with the "Mendoza line," as his average has fallen to .207. He's also hitting a horrendous .143 (9 for 63) in June. When A-Rod claimed he was "lost" all throughout the 2006 season, his average never sank below .274 after mid-May.

Newly acquired Mark Teixeira, got off to a horrific start batting just .200 in the month of April, with 3 home runs and 10 RBI's. He has since straightened it out and is hitting .308 since May 1, with 17 HR's and 46 RBI's. That brought his totals up to .282 AVG., 20 HR's and 56 RBI's. With those numbers and his studly defensive play, he is definitely earning his paycheck.

C.C. Sabathia has struggled at times but has been everything the Yankees expected to be. He's pitched a lot better than his numbers show, as he sits at 6-4 with a 3.71 ERA, with 70 strikeouts over 102 innings. One thing that is severely under looked by everyone is how he's gone 7 or more innings in 10 of his 15 starts. That's including his most recent start where he was pulled after 1 1/3 innings due to tightness in his left bicep. He will throw 20-25 pitches today in his bullpen session to see how it feels, and if he will have to miss a start or make a stop on the DL. If he goes onto the DL, the Yanks will feel pressure as there as been holes in the rotation. A.J. Burnett has also done his part to keep the Yankees in 2nd place, though his numbers don't show it either. He sits at 5-4, with an ERA of 4.24 with 82 strikeouts in 87 innings.

With this high powered offense that the Yankees have, and with home runs flying out of the little league field they play on, there's no reason the Yankees should be blowing teams out left and right. They have now been shutout in 3 games this month. They were shutout by the Boston Red Sox (respectable), the WASHINGTON NATIONALS(ARE YOU SERIOUS!?), and last night by ROOKIE Tommy Hansen and the Atlanta Braves. Granted, Tommy Hansen is a future #1 pitcher, it doesn't matter. This guy is a rookie, and when you have Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, and Hideki Matsui, there is no excuse, NO EXCUSE, that the New York Yankees EVER get shutout.

With all this being said and the possibility of C.C being out for an extended time, one has to wonder, can the Yankees turn it around and pass the Red Sox up and win another division title, but more important, another World Series?

So It Comes Down to ONE GAME, WINNER TAKE ALL!

2009-06-24T13:38:00.002-05:00

Last night, it was do or die for the Texas Longhorns. After losing a heart breaker in Game 1 to LSU, the Longhorns found themselves in a must-win situation or they would have to watch LSU celebrate winning a national title.

As scheduled the game was supposed to start at 6:05, but mother nature had other ideas, as she did over the weekend at the U.S. Open, in New York. After a delay of 1 hr and 34 minutes, game 2 was underway. As expected the Texas Longhorns sent freshman sensation, Taylor Jungmann, out to the hill to try and slow down the high-powered LSU Tiger offense, who's averaging 9.5 runs per game in Omaha. One surprise was who LSU would send out to oppose Jungmann. Everyone had expected to see six-foot-seven sensation Anthony Ranaudo for LSU, but instead saw Aaron Ross. LSU coach Paul Mainieri held out Ranaudo because he hadn't thrown on three days rest all year, and said this wasn't the time or place to do it, and instead hold him out for Game 3, necessary. Well it will be necessary as Texas came out swinging.

LSU hadn't committed an error throughout the CWS, but that would end quickly as LSU catcher Micah Gibbs would be charged with an error after a errant throw when Micheal Torres stole 2nd base. Following the error, Travis Tucker would play small ball and move Torres up to 3rd with just one out. This was the Longhorn offense everyone has expected to see. Brandon Belt would put the Horns on top when he singled through the right side, bringing home Torres and the Horns led 1-0.

Texas didn't let up after the 1st inning, nor did they look back. They tacked on another one in the second inning on a Preston Clark solo shot to left. Another Longhorn home run, and all of a sudden the Texas Longhorns looked like The New York Yankees power hitters.

LSU would score their lone run of the game in the 2nd, with back to back 2 out singles and then an error by Longhorn short stop Brandon Loy. Texas would not let this scare them and look to put the game out of reach early.

They came up in the 3rd looking to do damage and secure a game 3. That's exactly what they would do, and in a style we'd seen only in Omaha. After LSU pulled Austin Ross after 2 innings, Ryan Bird was brought in hoping to keep the score at 2-1, but that wouldn't be the case. After a pop out to 3rd, the hot hitting Russell Moldenhauer stepped into the box and kept his hot stick going. He got a hold of it and sent it deep into the right center field bleachers. This would be Moldenhauer's 4th home run of the CWS, while he hit 0 before getting to Omaha. The 4th home run would tie a CWS record for most home runs and also extend the Longhorn lead to 3-1.

Rupp would follow Moldenhauer with a 1 out double, and Texas would look to tack on more runs. After a Kevin Keyes fly out to right, Conner Rowe doubled down the left field line, scoring Rupp and the Horns now led 4-1. This wouldn't be the end of the inning either, as Preston Clark singled off new Tiger pitcher Nolan Cain, bringing in Rowe, for Clark's 2nd RBI of the night and it pushed the lead to 5-1.

LSU looked to answer right back in the 3rd, as D.J. LeMahieu led off the inning with a triple but would be stranded there, and that seemed to do LSU in for the night. LSU would never threaten again, as the story of the night was freshman stud Taylor Jungmann for the Horns. Jungmann had never gone past 7 2/3 innings in a start this year, but threw a CG 5 hitter to force a decisive game 3 tonight for the Horns.

With that being said, everything goes out the window tonight as it is a winner take all match-up. LSU will send Anthony Ranaudo to the hill tonight and Texas will send Cole Green to oppose him. If the Tigers lose Wednesday, it would mark only the second time this season they have dropped back-to-back games. It should be exciting when it comes to an end, as one team will dog pile on the mound and one sits and watches in the dugout. The Horns say they don't dog pile unless it's in Omaha, so will we see it tonight?

MANNYWOOD RETURNS!!!

2009-06-23T22:09:00.003-05:00

Manny Ramirez has officially began his rehab/comeback to get caught back up to speed of MLB pitching when his suspension comes to an end. Ramirez was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. He is at the LA Dodgers AAA affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes, and hit leadoff tonight and went 0-2 with 1 strikeout and was pulled after 4 innings.

He is hoping to return July 3rd when he is reinstated by the league, and I would bet that he won't miss a beat in that 1st game back, though he struggled in his 2 at bats tonight.

Can It Get Any Better!??!!?!?!

2009-06-23T01:01:00.005-05:00

WOW! Just WOW! That's probably what many people were saying, including myself, following game 1 of the College World Series. Texas and LSU took the field Monday night in Omaha, Nebraska, at Rosenblatt Stadium while temperatures sat at 94-96 degrees, with heat indexes climbing to 104 degrees on the field. Both teams took infield and batting practice Monday afternoon in preparation for the 1st pitch Monday night.

Texas sent their ace, Chance Ruffin, to the hill and as expected LSU jumped out on top. After retiring the 1st hitter of the game, LSU's top home run hitter, Ryan Schimpf sent one about 15-20 rows deep into right field, and gave LSU a quick 1-0 lead. When LSU sent out their ace Louis Coleman to the hill, everyone expected a great pitchers' duel. That's what the fans would get for the first 3 1/2 innings, as LSU led 1-0, when Texas came to the dish in the bottom of the 4th. Texas, who's well known for their small ball and sacrifice bunts, seemed to have a different approach early, as they were just missing some of Coleman's pitches. Texas coach Augie Garrido, gathered his team before the inning and said "Guys, your just missing Coleman's pitches! Be patient, and they will fall." That's exactly what happened, as the inning started. Travis Tucker led off the inning with a deep blast to left and the game was quickly tied at 1 apiece. That wouldn't be the end of the inning for Texas though. Following a Brandon Belt ground-out, Russell Moldenhauer stepped into the plate. Moldenhauer who had hit no home runs during the regular season had hit one during the CWS, and was looking to do more damage. Damage is exactly what he did as he took the Louis Coleman offering deep to center field and and about 20 feet up, off the batters' eye, giving Texas a 2-1 lead, but they weren't done yet. Two hitters later, Kevin Keyes, crushed a pitch into left center field, and extended Texas' lead to 3-1.

All of a sudden, the Longhorns looked like the LSU offense, and were playing gorilla ball. The 3-1 Texas lead would remain in tact heading to the top of the 6th. Following a Schimpf strikeout, Blake Dean sent one back through the box nearly catching Ruffin and into center field. LSU catcher, Micah Gibbs, would follow that with a single of his own, and LSU now had 1st and 2nd and only 1 out. Following freshman Mikey Mahtook's 3rd strikeout of the game, Augie Garrido made the move to go get Ruffin, and bring in stud closer Austin Wood, to face LSU right fielder, Jared Mitchell, and get the lefty vs. lefty matchup. After Wood got ahead of Mitchell, Mitchell would battle and foul off pitches until he caught one and sent it into the left center field gap. The shot would clear the bases as he slid into 3rd with a game-tying two run triple, and we now sat at 3-3.

Texas wouldn't let the LSU rally slow them or their gorilla ball down. Russell Moldenhauer then hit what seemed to be a fly ball to left, that would carry and carry out of the ballpark to give the 'Horns a 4-3 lead. It was Moldenhauer's 2nd home run of the game, and 3rd of the CWS, while he hit 0 on the season. Texas was now looking to put the pedal to the metal and as they got a single and double to have 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. With Preston Clark at the dish and a chance to bust the game open to 6-3, Coleman had a pitch get away from him, and it went to the backstop allowing another run to score, giving Texas a 5-3 lead.

LSU would answer back in the top of the 7th with 1 of their own, as D.J. LeMahieu got a hold of one and sent it off the batter's eye in center field to cut the lead back to 5-4. In the bottom of the 7th, Texas center fielder, Connor Rowe, would push the lead back to 6-4, as he would lead off the inning with a solo shot to left. That would be the end of the road for LSU ace, Louis Coleman, and the pitchers' duel everyone was expecting was out the door.

That's where the score sat as we entered the top of the 9th and LSU had to score 2 runs to tie the game, and hopefully force extras.

Following a 1 out single by LSU 1B Sean Ochinko, that was the end for Austin Wood, and Texas brought in expected game 2 starter, freshman Taylor Jungmann. Jungmann seemed to have the jitters as he walked LSU SS Derek Helenihi on 4 straight, and then was yanked following 2 straight balls to PH Travis Hanover. Out came Jungmann, and in came freshman Austin Dicharry. After getting Hanover to chase the 2-0 fastball, Dicharry worked the count back to 3-2, and got Hanover to chase once again and sat him down for out number two. That would bring up LSU's lead off hitter, D.J. LeMahieu, who hit a ball down the left field line that would drop in off the wall and tied the game up at 6-6, and all of a sudden, Texas had to look for another walk-off win.

With the game tied at 6, LSU brought in freshman stud closer Matty Ott to try and keep the game tied at 6. After getting ahead 0-2 on the lead off hitter, Tim Maitland, Ott lost his pitch and hit him, allowing Texas to get winning run on 1st base. Following a sacrifice bunt from Cameron Rowe, the Longhorns, now had two opportunities to end the game, and not have to play extras. Unfortunately, Ott would get Michael Torres and Travis Tucker both to pop up to outfielders, and we were headed to extras tied at 6.

LSU looked poised to take it in the 10th, as Micah Gibbs got on by way of a lead off walk, and Mahtook singled through the right side on a hit and run. LSU now had 1st and 2nd with 0 outs, when they got a sacrifice fly to right field from Jared Mitchell, and LSU now had 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Following a wild pitch by Dicharry, it was now 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Not wanting to take any chances, Garrido decided to walk Leon Landry and load the bases and play for the double play. With the intentional walk that ended the day for Austin Dicharry and in came hard throwing right hander Brandon Workman. He would get 2 huge strikeouts and shut the door on LSU leaving the game tied at 6.

After Ott recorded 3 outs in the bottom of the 10th, we headed to the 11th still tied at 6. D.J. LeMahieu would lead off the inning with a walk, but after two quick outs, it appeared LSU would go quietly again. That wouldn't be the case though. With two outs in the inning, LeMahieu took off for 2nd and would make it safely, but the ball would trickle into center field, and he would move up to 3rd on the throwing error. Gibbs would then work yet another walk and it was 1st and 3rd with two outs for LSU. That brought up freshman center fielder Mikie Mahtook, who had been taken into the clubhouse earlier to recieve IV's after suffering from cramps. Mahtook would struggle to catch up to Workman's fastball but wouldn't go down quietly, and kept fouling off pitches. Finally he would see a breaking ball and laced it right back up the middle breaking the tie, and putting LSU on top 7-6.

LSU would leave closer Matty Ott out there for what appeared one more inning, and he took care of business and took care of it quickly, striking out Brandon Loy and Maitland, before getting Connor Rowe to ground out to 2nd. That would give LSU Game 1, and put them 1 game away from their 1st national title since 2000.

With LSU only being 1 game away from the national title, you have to question some coaching decisions. One major question to be answered is why did Augie Garrido pull the hot hitting Russell Moldenhauer? He was 3-3 on the night and had hit 2 homeruns. I know that he and Tant Shepard share the DH role, but why pull your DESIGNATED HITTER who's 3 for 3?!?!

Another question has that has to be asked is, who goes for Texas in game 2? Will it be Taylor Jungmann who only threw 6 straight balls before being yanked, and may have confidence issues now, or will it be Cole Green? Green apparently isn't ready to go, so you'd have to think it's gonna be Jungmann or every arm that Texas has.

Will Matty Ott be available for LSU after 3 innings of work? Who's available for Texas?

It should be a great game again tomorrow, as LSU will send hard throwing Anthony Ranaudo to the hill with the opportunity to clinch a national title.

Did Glover Win? Did the Field Choke?

2009-06-22T23:22:00.002-05:00

Well the United States Open finally concluded, just a day late. A tournament victory that is supposed to be celebrated with your father on Father's Day, was pushed back to Monday due to awful weather in Farmingdale, NY all weekend. The horrendous weather started Thursday, as the 1st half of players got some of their 1st round in during the 3 hours of play. This would ultimately be a turn of events for that 1st group, including Tiger Woods.

The 2nd group that missed all the weather Thursday caught a major advantage as the course played a lot slower, and also easier to score on, evident by Mike Weir's 1st round 64, and 15 players turned in under par scores, 14 of which were in the 2nd grouping for the 1st round.

As we moved into the 3rd round, Ricky Barnes sat atop the leader board at -8 under par, a new U.S. Open scoring record through two rounds. With that the 3rd round began late Saturday night and players rushed to get as many holes in as possible before darkness or more rain would hit an already saturated Bethpage Black. At one point Saturday evening, 28 year old Ricky Barnes had stretched his score to -11 under par, and led by as many as 6, with Tiger Woods, no where near, a distant 15 strokes back. Well it wouldn't stay that way for long as he would turn in a 37 on the back 9 and finish the 3rd round with only a 1 stroke lead over Lucas Glover who was at -7 under.

With darkness looming the USGA assembled the 4th round pairings and sent them off onto the course trying to get as many holes in as possible. As the round started the leader board looked like this:

Ricky Barnes (-8)
Lucas Glover (-7)
David Duval (-3)
Ross Fisher (-3)
Phil Mickelson (-2)
Hunter Mahan (-2)
Mike Weir (-2)
Retief Goosen (EVEN)
Tiger Woods (+1)

With that being the case, they teed off and that's when the craziness began. Ricky Barnes immediately lost his lead as he would bogey number 1, while Glover parred and there was a tie for 1st at -7 under. Lefty and Mahan would remain at -2 under through their first 2 holes, while David Duval and Ross Fisher had both lost a stroke and fallen back to -2 under, while Tiger Woods made a birdie to get to EVEN, and Goose lost a stroke and fell back to +1 over. When Barnes hit his tee shot on #2 off to the right and into the deep stuff, he looked to be falling apart and the pressure had finally caught up to him. Play was then suspended due to a few players complaining of darkness, and it was even getting evident on t.v.

With play suspended this is where we stood heading towards a Monday finish:

Ricky Barnes (-7) thru 1
Lucas Glover (-7) thru 1
Hunter Mahan (-2) thru 2
Phil Mickelson (-2) thru 2
David Duval (-2) thru 1
Ross Fisher (-2) thru 1
Mike Weir (-1) thru 3
Tiger Woods (EVEN) thru 7

Many questions were to be answered Sunday night. Would Ricky Barnes continue crumbling under the pressure? Would Lefty make his move and finally get his beloved U.S. Open trophy? Would Tiger make his signature final round move? Finally, would the 882nd ranked player in the world, and a former #1 player David Duval, return to his old days and hoist the trophy come Monday afternoon?

When the players all resumed play at 8:00 A.M., all those questions would be answered. As play continued on, Ricky Barnes fell apart horribly on the front nine. He would bogey four holes in a row, and 5 of the 1st 9, shooting a 40, and fell all the way -3 under. Lucas Glover would try to hang on but continued sliding as well turning in a 38 on the front 9 and sat at -4 under, yet still had the lead. The signature story that was David Duval seemed to be coming to a halt as he triple bogied, the Par 3, 3rd, after his shot was embedded and he was unable to get it out of the sand, leading to the 6. He turned in a 38 as well on the front 9, and was sitting EVEN, hoping to make a move following the turn. The New York crowd favorite, Phil Mickelson, also saw how tough Bethpage Black was supposed to play the entire week, as he had turned in a 36 on the front 9, falling back to -1 under par. Britain's Ross Fisher had an interesting front 9 of his own as he would turn in 3 bogies, and 2 birdies on the front 9 for a 36, and sat at -2 under. Tiger Woods seemed to be waiting to make his move as he turned in a 34 on the front 9 and sat at -1 under, just 3 strokes back.

So with Glover sitting a top the leader board with a 1 stroke lead, he made the turn alongside Ricky Barnes. Glover would make par on the 1st 5 holes of the back 9 to remain at -4. Ricky Barnes just seemed like he couldn't get his game figured out as he bogied 2 of the 1st 3 holes on the back 9, and sat at -1, hoping he hadn't let his 1st major championship slip away as he had just had a 5 stroke lead not even 18 holes ago. Quietly making his move, the fan favorite picked his move. Mickelson would par #10, and 11 and then made his move. He would birdie #12 to get to -2 under, and EAGLE the par 5, 13th, and was all of a sudden tied for the lead at -4!! Not only had Mickelson begin making his move and put himself in a tie for 1st, David Duval turned his round around on the back 9, made 3 straight birdies, and was only 1 back at -3 under, with 2 to play. Ross Fisher would also eagle the par 5 13th, and was only 1 stroke back with 5 to play. Tiger Woods turned in a final round score of 69, but only sat at EVEN par and knew he was out of contention. The one man who just couldn't catch a break was Hunter Mahan. Mahan sat at -2 with 7 to play, and found himself right in contention, only to see his luck go another way. He hit a great approach that hit the bottom of the pin and rolled to 40 feet where he would make bogey, versus a 3-5 foot birdie to get to -3. He would also reach a par 3 and land on the opposite side of the slope where he would roll back down the green to a 50 foot put and make bogey yet again and finished at EVEN par, instead of having a chance to get towards the top at -4.

With Mahan and Woods being out of contention, and Barnes hanging on for dear life, it became a 4 man golf tournament. Following a Mickelson bogey on 15, Glover held the lead by himself at -4 under, but wouldn't hold on for long, as he would also bogey 15. Mickelson and Glover were tied at -3 under, while Duval, Fisher, Barnes, and Mahan all sat at -2 under par. Would the inevitable happen, where we would see a 6 man, 18-hole playoff?

As much as we all wanted to see extra golf it wouldn't happen. Glover came back on 16 and stuck his approach within 6 feet for birdie which he would sink to regain the lead at -4 under. Mahan as mentioned lost his luck and bogied #16 and 17 to finish at EVEN. Mickelson would then go onto bogey 17, and sat at -2 under par, and likely out of contention. Fisher would also bogey 2 of the final 4 and finished at -1 for the tournament. David Duval had a chance to go into the 18th back only 1 stroke, his par putt on 17 would lip out of the cup and he would fall back to -2 under and most likely out of contention. So as the final pairing moved to the 18th tee, if Glover bogied, and Barnes could make his 2nd birdie of the round, it would force an 18-hole playoff between the two. Barnes would crush his drive and be within 65 yards, while Glover laid up and played it safe. Barnes would put his approach too far and got no backspin on the ball and was looking at a 25 footer for birdie. Glover put his approach within 15-20 feet, and it looked like he would be able to 2-putt and win, as Barnes was struggling with the putter. Barnes would get his putt close but it didn't drop, and Glover lagged his putt perfectly up to the hole, and was able to save par and clinch his 2nd PGA Tour Win, and 1st Major Championship.

The final leader board looked like this:

Lucas Glover (-4)
Phil Mickelson (-2)
David Duval (-2)
Ricky Barnes (-2)
Ross Fisher (-1)
Tiger Woods (EVEN)

It was tough luck for Phil Mickelson, as he broke the record with his 5th 2nd place finish at the U.S. Open, and you can only wonder when Phil will get his U.S. Open. Everyone who caught the final round Monday morning all saw how tough Bethpage Black was supposed to play this weekend, and shouldn't have been shocked.

Everyone also has to be encouraged by the possible return of David Duval. He came into the tournament ranked at 882nd in the world, but rose to 142nd following his great weekend. You can only hope this is the start of the return for Duval, who was once the #1 ranked player in the world. He says that he's been always playing well, his scores just didn't reflect it, but did feel that this was a turning point.

You make the call. Did Glover win the tournament, or did everyone else come up short?

Finally, we all are hoping for the best as Phil Mickelson's wife, Amy, will begin her chemo therapy July 1st, after being recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and we are all praying for you Phil and Amy!!

Team USA Advanced!?! What?!?!

2009-06-22T22:32:00.003-05:00

This is probably what everyone asked themselves on Sunday afternoon, when they heard that Team USA advanced to the semifinals of the Confederation's Cup. Everyone thought Team USA was down and out after going 0-2 with losses of 3-1 to Italy, and 3-0 to Brazil. They seemed to just be in a different league from all the other teams. They showed no heart and just looked flat out lackadaisical. As they strolled into Sunday, they knew in order for the magic to happen, they had to first take care of there own business against Egypt. USA player Landon Donovan said in response on how to advance following the Egypt game, "The first thing that was required was belief." Well belief is what Coach Bob Bradley had in mind when he made 3 changes to his starting lineup. He inserted backup goalkeeper Brad Guzan, midfielder Ricardo Clark and forward Charlie Davies. Well all these changes took into effect early and often as Team USA took care of business and beat Egypt 3-0. Though Egypt was without their two key players, forwards Amr Zaki and Mohamed Zidan, who were out due to injuries, Team USA left no doubt. One of Bradley's subs Charlie Davies got the scoring started early, as he scored in the 21st minute. The USA didn't quit though, even though they were only up 1-0 at the half. Though the Brazil and Italy game was going on simultaneously and there was some scoreboard watching, they never let it effect them and kept pushing on the offensive side, where it finally paid off, as Michael Bradley scored in the 63rd minute, and Clint Dempsey got Team USA to the magical 3-0 lead. The question was would the 3-0 score hold, or would Egypt get a cheapy? That question was quickly answered by replacement goal keep Brad Guzan, as he kept the door closed the entire match and saved 13 shots on goal.

With Team USA taking care of business, they could finally look up and know they were in to the semifinals. What did they see when the looked up? They saw a 3-0 halftime lead by Brazil, and that score would hold, and Coach Bradley and company moved on. We all know it wouldn't happen on it's own, as Team USA got a little luck on their side, as one of the 3 goals for Brazil came from an own goal by Italy as Andrea Dossena tried to block a shot on goal, but ended up knocking it in his own goal off his leg. It didn't matter though as the Team USA is moving on to face the #1 team in the world Spain.

It'll be interesting to see how the Team USA goes into the game against Spain. Following Spain's 2-0 win over South Africa the victory gave Spain a world record of 15 consecutive international wins and 35 straight matches unbeaten.

I can't wait to see it Wednesday afternoon!!

Texas vs LSU Breakdown!!

2009-06-20T22:04:00.006-05:00

When the LSU Tigers and the Texas Longhorns take the field at Rosenblatt Stadium Monday night, they will play a best-of-three series and try and bring the crown back to their respective universities. They are two different teams, but similar in some ways.

When it comes to the two offenses, they are at two different ends of the spectrum. LSU likes to swing the stick and play for the long ball and big innings, while the 'Horns like to work and get the lead off hitter on then move him around. The Tigers high-powered offense is led by junior sluggers, Blake Dean and Ryan Schimpf. Schimpf leads the Tigers with 21 home runs, but Dean is right behind him with 17 of his own. LSU's lineup is full of hitters with 8 guys hitting over .300, and 4 guys with 10 plus home runs. Though they often hit for power, they are also a patient team at the plate as they have 327 walks from their starting 9.

LSU also likes to be thieves on the base paths, as they have stolen 112 bases out of 154 attempts, led by LSU Wide Receiver/ Right Fielder Jared Mitchell, who stole 35 bases out of 44. They will definitely look to test Texas catcher Cameron Rupp who has only thrown out 12 out of 38 runners or 32%. With LSU playing a high powered offense, the Texas Longhorn offense plays a completely different style.

Texas looks to get a run at a time, and plays lots of small ball. Texas enjoys the ability to get the lead off hitter on base and then sacrifice bunt him over to 2nd, and take 2 opportunities to get him over and in. The Longhorns led the nation this year with 100 sacrifice bunts, and it has showed often in the CWS. Though they have been playing small ball here in Omaha, Texas has also showed the long ball. As the saying goes, "chicks dig the long ball." They have been led by Cameron Rupp, who has now saved their season twice in two games against ASU, by hitting two bombs, one that cleared the batters eye to tie the game in the 9th inning on Friday night. Augie Garrido expects all his hitters to lay a bunt down at any time, as three-hole hitter, Brandon Belt was 2nd on the team with 11.

After the offensive side is where the two teams even it out. LSU's pitching staff is led by big senior right hander, Louis Coleman, who is 14-2 on the year with a 2.68 ERA and had 132 strikeouts over 121 innings. Once you get finished with Coleman though it doesn't get any easier as LSU sends out the six-foot seven sophomore righty Anthony Ranaudo. Ranaudo was 11-3 on the year with a 2.87 ERA, and struck out 155 over 119 innings. Ranaudo has a fastball that sits at 90-94 and a curveball and changeup that fools the hitters when they are expecting to see that fastball run up and bust them on their hands. Both these pitchers feel safe when they leave the game with a lead late in the ball game, as the Tiger pen is locked down by closer Matty Ott. Ott, a true freshman, wasn't expected to be the team's closer at the beginning of the year, but earned it as he finished the year with a 3-2 record and 16 saves. Though it seems LSU would have the edge here, Texas matches up well on the pitching end.

Texas is led by sophomore ace, Chance Ruffin, who went 10-2 with a 3.27 ERA. He led the Horns rotation in innings pitched with a 118 1/3 while striking out 104. A big surprise for the Texas pitching staff came from true freshman Taylor Jungmann (yung-men) who finished the year 10-3 with a 2.10 ERA. He threw 85 2/3 innings and struck 92. The Texas bullpen is locked down by senior lefty, Austin Wood. Wood known for his stellar outing against Boston College, where he went 13 innings and the 1st 12 1/3 were for no hit. Wood is side arm lefty who deceives hitters by coming from a different angle and making it tough on hitters to pick up.

The way I see this series coming to an end is in two games, which will be close pitcher's duels with LSU being too overpowering and will sweep the series 2-0, and bring the 2009 National Championship back to Baton Rouge.

Here's to a great series that hopefully puts college baseball back on the map and get more games on television during the year.

LSU or Texas? Who Ya Got?

2009-06-19T23:37:00.001-05:00

Breakdown coming tomorrow..

What a Game..

2009-06-19T23:02:00.002-05:00

Well when Arizona State and Texas took the field, everyone was expecting a pitchers duel. The two teams didn't disappoint, as Texas sent out big right-hander Cole Green to the mound and Arizona State sent Mike Leake out again to try and redeem himself against the Horns. Questions were raised during pre-game as rumor had it that Leake was suffering from some tendonitis. ASU head coach Pat Murphy did confirm this during his in-game interview with Kyle Peterson.

The 1st two innings went through quickly as the game was scoreless entering the 3rd. The hottest hitter anywhere on the planet, Kole Calhoun, stepped into the box and sent a single right back up the middle to bring in the 1st run and ASU jumped out on top 1-0. They wouldn't hold the lead long as Texas answered right back in the bottom half of the inning as Texas 3B Micheal Torres got a hold of one and parked it in the RF bleachers to tie the game at 1. ASU wouldn't let it stay tied for long as they answered right back in the 4th, as Drew Maggi sent a shot right back up the box to give ASU the lead back at 2-1. The Sun Devils would hold the lead at 2-1 heading into the bottom of the 5th and Texas would battle back to tie the game back up at 2 as Travis Tucker singled to bring Cameron Rowe home.

Arizona State got all they could out of Mike Leake before pulling him after 6 strong innings. His final line was 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, and 7 K's over 85 pitches. Texas ace Cole Green also was pulled after 6 strong, and his final line was, 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 6 K's and 3 BB, over 110 pitches. The game would now be in the hands of each team's top reliever. Austin Wood, known for his 13 innings of shutout ball against BC in the 25 inning marathon, checked in to the game in the 7th inning and would throw 2 shutout innings, as would top Sun Devil reliever Mitchell Lambson.

We would enter the 9th inning tied at 2 and it wouldn't last long. Second round draft pick Jason Kipnis would lead off the inning with an infield single but then move to 2nd on a wild throw. The next 2 hitters, including hot hitting Kole Calhoun would be retired, and ASU had 1 out to get Kipnis home. Zach Wilson wouldn't dissapoint as he sent a ball down the RF line, where a stretched out Kevin Keyes couldn't reach it and Kipnis scored as Wilson pulled in to 3rd with a hopeful GW RBI triple, and force another game tomorrow night.

Unfortuanately, the Texas Longhorns had other plans as the bottom of the 9th inning began. Following a Brandon Loy leadoff strikeout, Cameron Rupp stepped into the box. If you remember back to Tuesday night, Rupp had 2 huge homeruns, including the solo shot in the 7th that would give Texas the lead for good. Rupp wouldn't dissapoint this time either as he took the Lambson delivery deep to CF and over the batters eye, and from my estimates about 430+ foot shot to tie the game back up at 3. There was then 2 outs when 9 hole hitter, centerfielder Cameron Rowe, took his turn in the box. He wouldn't wait long as he sent the 2nd pitch he saw deep to left field, and it just cleared the fence by 2 rows, and Texas walks off with a 4-3 win. Rowe sprinted around the bases, 1 hand in the air, and the other up in the air carrying his helmet.

Texas now advances to take on LSU in the championship series, which is a best of 3, beginning Monday night.

LSU Chops Pig Sooey!

2009-06-19T18:42:00.003-05:00

LSU came out in the 1st and left no doubt in anyone's minds that they were going to let Arkansas hang around. They pushed one across in the 1st and never looked back. Anthony Ranaudo was his typical self cruising through 6 shutout innings only giving up 4 hits, while striking out 5 on only 77 pitches, 58 which were for strikes. LSU had 14 runs on 16 hits, including 4 homeruns. As expected Arkansas was short on pitching and threw anyone that they could. They used 8 different pitchers but they were all roughed up. One shaky spot LSU dealt was with as stud closer Matty Ott. who couldn't close out the 9th and gave up a 3 run home run to Chase Leavitt as they shrunk the deficit from 14-2 to 14-5. That's where the game would come to an end, eliminating the Razorbacks, as LSU moved on to the championship where they will either face Texas or Arizona State.

Breaking News out of the Bronx

2009-06-19T16:22:00.002-05:00

Word out of the Yankee camp is that Alex Rodriguez who's hitting .145 in June, has been benched for tonight's game as well as tomorrow night's game!! Shocking news to me

Who Is Going to Take It All?

2009-06-19T13:46:00.002-05:00

Well we are down to the final 4 teams in the College World Series, and two of those teams are facing elimination today. Arkansas takes on SEC-rival LSU and must beat LSU twice to get into the championship 3 game series. Arkansas staved off elimination Wednesday night as Woodlands native Brett Eibner hit a 2 strike 2 out 2 run game-tying homerun in the 9th to tie Virginia up at 3. They then held off Virginia 4 straight innings as the Wahoo's put the winning run on 3rd base four straight innings, including loading the bases with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th. Arkansas took the lead in the 12th on an RBI double by Andrew Darr who battled off for nine pitches before hitting a groundball down the 3rd base line to give the Razorbacks the lead that they would hold onto to win 4-3.

LSU has only had to play two games thus far in the CWS and cruised to a 9-1 victory over Arkansas and also beat Virginia in the opening game 9-5. They have a high powered offense led by two homerun hitters in Ryan Schimpf and Blake Dean. They have 8 players in their starting line up that are hitting over .300 and 6 that are hitting over .315. They are also a team full of speed led by their right fielder, as well as wide out for the Tiger football team, Jared Mitchell, who stole 36 bases on 45 attempts. They also have a star studded pitching staff led by Louis Coleman who went 14-2 on the year with a 2.68 ERA followed up by Anthony Ranaudo who went 10-3 with a 3.03 ERA. The Tiger bullpen is locked down by closer Matty Ott, who led the club with 16 saves.

In the second game of the night we have a rematch of Tuesday night's stellar comeback between The Texas Longhorns and The Arizona State Sun Devils. The Sun Devils must also beat the Longhorns twice to avoid elimination and get into the championship series. The 'Horns aren't known for their offense as they play small ball and station to station baseball, but are displaying some power in Omaha. When these two teams met Tuesday night it was supposed to be a battle of the 2 teams ace pitchers. It was far from that as Texas pitcher Chance Ruffin was chased out before getting an out in the 3rd trailing 6-0. After the 3rd inning, Texas coach Augie Garrido brought his team together and told them to just go out and have fun, and think of all the highlights that will be on SportsCenter for the many nights to come. That inspired the Longhorn offense as they struck for 6 runs in the 4th, capped off by a 3 run homerun by catcher Cameron Rupp. After giving up 6 runs, Sun Devil ace, Mike Leake was chased before getting out of the 4th inning. Leake was often said to be the best pitcher in the nation outside of Stephen Strasburg, going 15-1 on the year with a 1.30 ERA, but seemed to be in a daze and didn't have his best stuff, nor did Chance Ruffin. The game remained tied at 6, until Rupp stepped into the box again in the 7th inning, and sent one out to the crowd again for his 2nd homerun of the game and gave the 'Horns a 7-6 lead. Texas would go on to push 3 more runs across in the 8th and hold on for a 10-6 win.

It should be an exciting day as they are hoping to get the tarp off the field in the next few minutes and get game 1 underway.

As for my predictions, I think LSU is just too much for Arkansas and will play only the 3 game minimum in order to reach the championship series. As for game two tonight, I think the Sun Devils will force Texas to play again Saturday with the losing team going home. I feel that Texas has too much in the end, and the Devils will run out of pitching, setting up a LSU vs Texas best-of-three series, with the Tigers taking the crown home

We have Golf!!

2009-06-19T07:20:00.009-05:00

We are well underway this morning, and the course seems to be in decent shape from what I can tell, so thumbs up to the Bethpage Black groundskeeping crew! Justin Leonard came out hot this morning and closed out his front 9 at 2 under par 33, but made mistakes on #10 and double bogied and fell back to even par. Tiger is on #11 after making a 15 foot par save to remain at 2 over, after bogeying #7 and making par on 8 and 9 to close out at 2 over par for a 37. Paddy Harrington is looking to turn the corner after a great drive and sticks his approach to within 4-5 feet, and will have a birdie opportunity. Tiger's approach has lipped the cup and he has a 2-3 footer for birdie to get back to -1. Jeff Breahut is the only one under par at -1.

7:28 A.M. Update:

Graeme McDowell has birdied #2 (started on back nine) and now has a share of the lead at -1. Angel Cabrera makes his 18 foot putt for birdie and is back to -1. Paddy Harrington really needs this to make this putt for birdie as he sits at 6 over par, and he just pushes it right, and remains at +6. Tiger his made his 3 foot birdie putt and moves back to +1. Texas A&M golfer Bronson Burgoon is hanging tough. He is through 6 holes (started on back 9) but sits at +3, following his double start on #10 and then has made par out with the exception of #13 where he bogied.

7:51 A.M:

McDowell has made a birdie on #4 and remains the only player under par at two under par through his 1st 13 holes, while 7 players lurk at even par. Former Texas A&M Aggie golfer, Andrew Parr, who was at -1 when he resumed play this morning is struggling today and currently is sitting at +2 through 9 holes. Tiger will play 1st with his approach at #12 and ends up on the fringe on the far right side, as Cabrera is on the green and sits from about 30-35 feet for birdie. Cabrera nearly holes his putt, but ends up making par, and Tiger follows suit and makes par and remains at +1 as well.

8:30 A.M.:

We have our 1st group in this morning and Jeff Brehaut has turned in an even par 70. The Champions group (Woods/Cabrera/Harrington) are on the par 3 14th, and Paddy Harrington and Woods both will have birdie opportunities while Cabrera is deep in a sand trap. Cabrera gets up and down for par and remains of +1. Harrington makes his 2nd straight birdie and is now back to +5, and Tiger makes his birdie and is knocking on the door at even par. McDowell remains at -2 and Martin is still sitting at -1.

9:10 A.M:

The toughest hole on the course, #15, is playing just that today, as Tiger, Cabrera, and Harrington all struggle, and Woods double bogies and falls to +2, Cabrera to +3, and Harrington back to +7. Phil "Lefty" Mickelson, is on the range warming up and his 1st round is planned to start around 10:06 A.M. CST.

Two Amateurs at the Top! Ben Martin, a 21 year old at Clemson University is leading the pack at-2, thru 12 (he started on back 9) and Drew Weaver, a recent Virginia Tech graduate has turned in a 69 for his 1st round score, while Graeme McDowell still sits at -1. Tom Rinaldi is interviewing Weaver now and they are discussing just how close he was to the shooting. He says he was about 100 yards from Norris Hall and heard the shots fired and just tried to get to safety. Scary stuff!

10:00 A.M.:

The champions group has finished their 1st round and it got a little ugly. Tiger plays 4 over par through the last 4 holes and finishes his round with a 74, for +4. Cabrera also turned in a 74, and Harrington turned in a 76 for +6. An Aggie update: Burgoon just bogied 15th hole (#6) and falls to +4 after posting 10 consecutive pars. It's time for Lefty to take the course!!! Martin gives back a stroke and falls back to -1 and we have a 7 way tie at the top at -1.

12:30 P.M.

IT'S A SCORING BONANZA OUT THERE!

The afternoon group is seeing the sunshine and loving the course at the moment. 12 players currently on the course are under par, including your leaders Mike Weir and Peter Hansen at -3. Other notables at towards the top are Rocco Mediate, Anthony Kim, and Claudio Villegas all at -2. Phil Mickelson just drained a 25 footer to move back to -1 under par and is playing well, though still missing some fairways, as he did on 18 when he laid up with an iron off the tee and still ended up in the sand.

Stay tuned for updates.

Rain Rain Go Away!!

2009-06-18T23:18:00.000-05:00

I think we all knew the day wouldn't last long when we saw Tiger hit his drive on #1 way left. Yes things looked up as he hit an amazing approach shot, and came back to make par, but it just got worse. It seemed Tiger was more worried about whether he would or wouldn't wear his pullover jacket, as he took it off and on constantly fighting the rain that would suspend play for the rest of the day. As the U.S. Open stands, there is a four way tie at the top with your current overnight/partial 1st round leaders tied at 1 under par are Jeff Brehaut, Johan Edfors, Ryan Spears, and former Texas A&M golfer Andrew Parr, WHOOP!! Tiger was able to get through 6 holes, but sits at 1 over par, after his double bogey on #5, and birdie on #6. Mike Davis and Jim Hyler discussed the game plan for tomorrow, and will go as follows. All players that were on the course when the horn sounded will resume play at 6:30 A.M., and the Thursday afternoon scheduled players will start their round between 9:00 and 10:00 A.M. They will then immeadiatley start round 2 at around 2:30 or 3:00 Friday afternoon. They believe that most players won't get finished with their 2nd round of play as darkness will become a factor, which causes more problems, as the forecast for Saturday looks at dreary as it did today.

Another Texas A&M golfer, Bronson Burgoon, started on the back nine, was only able to get through 3 holes before the rain ended his day. He sits at 2 over par, as he double bogied #10, but then settled in and made par at #11 and #12. This has been a crazy month for Burgoon as he nearly choked away the national title for the Aggies, but saved it with his shot of a lifetime on #18 to bring the title home to the Aggies. He then headed to Dallas where he finished in the top 2 out of 36 to qualify for the U.S. Open.

It should be an interesting, yet long day for the players, as it starts bright and early at 7:30 A.M. EST.

There's a lot of questions to be answered tomorrow, such as, what will Tiger's 1st round finish up like, how will Phil Mickelson perform tomorrow with the added pressure of his wife battling breast cancer. Will he play the tournament of his life and wear his emotions on his sleeve or will he struggle to get through rounds 1 and 2? Will there be an unknown at the top of the leaderboard at the end of Friday or will it be a Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, or Geoff Ogilvy?
I will be updating throughout the day tomorrow, keeping you posted on the action from Farmingdale, NY.