Blue Jackets Midseason Report

First off, I am glad to say this my 100th post. I honestly wasn't sure if this sports blog would be good or even read by anyone when I started it but 99 posts later, it's still here and I know of at least 4 people that read this regularly. For that, I say thanks.

Moving on...how bout them Blue Jackets! I know many of you are not hockey fans or if you are, not CBJ fans, but hey, this is an equal-opportunity blog. And as a CBJ fan, it's time to talka about the first half of the season.

41 games down, 41 to go and so far I must say, I am feeling really optimistic. I have felt this before as a CBJ fan but this is the best feeling yet.

First off, the team sits right now just one point out of the 8th playoff spot. That alone is a reason to be happy. Just a win in Tuesday's game against Colorado and they're in the top 8. Most years, the CBJ were at least 4-6 points away and fans had to pray. This year, it at least looks realistic.

Also, the recent 6-game road swing the team went on could have been the end for this team. Trips to places like Detroit, Washington, Anaheim and Colorado should have killed this team but instead, the Jackets finished the road trip 4-2. If that doesn't look like a playoff-caliber team, then I don't know what does.

Of course, mad props have to go to the young guns. First, Derick Brassard. Yes, he's injured and out for the season but what he did for the CBJ in 31 games was huge. 10 goals, 15 assists and a spark at the center position, something the CBJ hasn't seen in its existence. And hey, he even injured himself by sticking up for a teammate.

Jake Voracek at the age of 19 has chipped in 20 points and helped liven up an old second line. Derek Dorsett and Jared Boll continue to shake things up with a fight every game, giving the team much-needed energy. And how about this year's draft pick, 18-year old Nikita Filatov. 4 goals in 6 games, including the team's first hat trick of the season.

But no one deserves as much credit for where the CBJ are than goalie Steve Mason. He was called up thanks in injuries. Now, he may never go back. he has 15 wins, 6 shutouts, and an NHL best .938 save percentage. He has played out of his mind so far. And at the age of 20, let's just hope he hasn't reached his prime or get tired. I mean, he is just 20.

So what's the future look like for the Jackets? Well, as seen by the play of the young guns, there is plenty of talent there despite the numerous injuries. Rick Nash, Raffi Torres, Pascal Leclaire, Jason Chimera and so on. Once these players get back, this team becomes that much more dangerous.

The schedule is much kinder to the CBJ too. No more 6 -game road trips. In fact, the longest road trips for them now are a couple 3-game road swings in Western Canada. In fact, in mid-January, they start a stretch of 11 of 14 games at home. And they've been pretty good there lately, winning 7 of their last 8.

Plus, there is money in the cupboard to use to upgrade this team still. And considering how big a playoff berth would mean for this franchise and the city, I wouldn't be surprised to see CBJ ownership pull out all the stops.

So 41 games left. What's my prediction? Well, call me crazy, but I'm thinking this team finally makes the playoffs. I wasn't willing to do that in the preseason because I wasn't sold on the team gelling quick enough. But thanks to the amazing play from young guns and great coaching from Hitch and crew, I have faith.

PGA Tour Picks - Intro

Hello again folks. Been awhile since the last post but a trip to Athens, OH will delay a lot of things.

Anyways, the PGA Tour has begun its 2009 season and while many may not see this as a big deal, it truly is. And no, not because of the actual golf but because of the golf picking challenge Luke and I have.

Here's the history behind it. Luke and I have always been betting men. Sometimes, they've been friendly bets like when if the Pope will die before the Yankees win the World Series (still waiting for either to happen). Other times, they've been monetary (in which he has won more). So we decided to start a little something for the long PGA Tour season 2 years ago to see yet again who was better with predictions.

The challenge has a simple concept: pick 2 golfers in the field who you think will do the best each week in the given tournament. Add their total together and whoever has the better total wins. But nothing in life is that simple. The rules, that are somewhat confusing, are as follows:

1. The winner of the week gets 1st pick in the next week's tournament. The loser then gets picks #2 and #3, leaving the 4th pick to the winner. In the case of a tie in the week, the previous' week's winner goes first again.

2. In an effort to keep both of us from picking Tiger Woods (the world's #1 and most dominant golfer) every week and adding a little strategy to this challenge, both of us are only allowed to pick him 3 times during the entire golf season.

3. If either Luke or I pick the tournament winner using our 2 picks, we earn another opportunity to pick Tiger Woods in a tournament. This includes if Tiger himself is the winner.

4. In major tournaments and the 4 FedEx Cup events, strokes will be doubled. (Ex. -10 = -20, +6 = +12, etc...)

5. In the WGC Match Play Championship, Luke and I will pick it March Madness style, with a correct pick increasing in value as the rounds get further (1-2-3-4-5-6). The person with the most total points at the end earns another opportunity to pick Tiger Woods in a tournament.

6. If a chosen golfer misses a cut (2nd or 3rd round), the total for that player will either have 5 strokes added to their score or 3 strokes added to the worse score of the tournament. This applies to the majors and FedEx Cup events as well.

7. If a chosen golfer withdraws or is disqualified, the person who chose that player must change their pick to (one of) the playing partner(s) of the golfer once the round is complete. If it is the final round, the playing partner of the chosen golfer automatically becomes the score used.

8. During WGC events and the British Open, the secondary PGA Tour tournaments (ex. The U.S. Bacnk Championship in Milwaukee) will also be chosen. However, Luke and I will only choose one golfer and it will NOT be worth double strokes.

9. The challenge begins with the Mercedes Championship on January 8th and ends with the final FedEx Cup event, THE TOUR Championship on September 27th.

10. The winner of the challenge wins pride. Well, that and first pick for the next season.

In an effort to have full disclosure, Luke took Vijay Singh with his first pick for the Mercedes Championship. I then chose Anthony Kim and Ernie Els. He then took Camilo Villegas. My golfers finished with a total of -33 while Luke's golfers finished -17. The winner was Geoff Ogilvy so we both still have 3 Tiger picks left.

You can keep tabs on our picks and the challenge in the top left corner of the blog. I will update it as soon as I can every Sunday.

Fiesta Bowl Reaction

I have never been a fan of people who tape/DVR games to watch them later as if they were live. But after watching tonight's Fiesta Bowl that way, I think I may do it more often.

I worked all day and did not get home until 11:30pm. But watching the OSU-TEX game on DVR without knowing anything about it was just as good as watching it live. And that's because that game was an instant classic.

In the end, I am incredibly proud of the way the Bucks played. I know, many feel like it's like we laid another BCS egg but considering the fact that many thought (including myself) that we would lose by a ton in this game, OSU played like a true champ.

Texas came into this game, hoping to prove they were the best team in the nation. And that meant, dominating OSU all game and in every facet. But that was not to be. Instead, Texas was on their heels pretty much all game, including in the last minute. And yes, Colt McCoy and Quan Cosby saved the day but all in all, Texas didn't look that impressive.

OSU dominated this game in the first half. The rush game with Terrelle Pryor and Chris Wells clearly had the upper hand. And the OSU defense played their best half yet, stopping pretty much anything Texas threw at them.

The second half was a bit dicey. Texas begna their no-huddle offense which gave the Bucks defense a bit of a problem. (Quick aside: Why did OSU have a problem with that? We had 6 weeks to prepare and to get in shape? Come on...) And when it looked like Texas was well on its way to running OSU out of Arizona, the Bucks refused to go away.

Instead, Todd Boeckman made a triumphant return to QB and threw a TD pass to his protege' Pryor, confirming Jim Tressel's status as a great play-caller and offensive mind. Plus, Herron's lead-taking TD run was amazing. And don't forget. The second half saw very little of Chris Wells, further proving that next year;s OSU team will be just fine without him.

Now, I know the defense couldn't hold the lead. And I know that OSU lost. But this game was beyond win and loss. It was about proving a point that Ohio State could play with the big boys. It was about proving Jim Tressel is a big game coach. It was about proving that Ohio State and the Big Ten should be relevant in the national discussion once again. I think after this game, all of that has been proven.

Mad props to Texas for coming away with a victory. It was a great game and let's just hope that Thursday's national title tilt is that good. But for now, let's all remember the great game that was OSU-Texas.

And final note, I want to send a special thanks to the 28 OSU seniotrs. While a lot of people have been giving them grief for their lack of big-game wins, I instead want to thank them for allowing us OSU fans to have the opportunity to get excited for games such as OSU-FLA, OSU-LSU, OSU-USC and OSU-Texas. If this senior class would have packed it in after the Florida debacle, this season would have been a joke. But instead, it was another action-packed and dramatic season, full of ups and downs. But after this final game, I think there will be ups than downs.

NFL Wild Card Weekend Wrapup

Well, after a sluggish Saturday, Sunday went a little better for me. Philadelphia and Baltimore proved that being the better team means more than being the home team, something Atlanta and Indianapolis could not do.

To start with the recap, how about the Falcons? Man, talk about a letdown for ATL. Matt Ryan has been solid all season but when the time came for him to play a mistake-free game, it didn't happen. 3 Falcons turnovers turned into 21 Cardinals points. The Falcons D did all they could to slow down the Cards offense but when your own offense can't keep the ball, it's tough to play 100%. Congrats though to the Cardinals for the win. They played well and performed better when it mattered. Their defense also stepped up to the task, slowing down the potent Falcons run game.

As for the Eagles, it was business as usual. Donovan McNabb played like the quarterback we all know and love and Brian Westbrook again proved how runningbacks can do more than run. But it was the Eagles defense that won the game for them. Yeah, Adrian Peterson scored two TD's but besides his 40-yd scamper, he was held in check. And Tarvaris Jackson played about as bad as a Browns QB, thanks to a constant pass rush. Watch out for Philly, they'll be a tough out.

The Chargers-Colts game was the one game I was completely sure of. But in the end, I was completely wrong. If you look at the stats, you would think the Colts won. They won the turnover battle and had decent to great stats in all categories. But what you don't see are all their missed chances. All the times the Chargers gave the ball away, the Colts did nothing with it. They didn't have long drives and in OT when the defense needed to make crucial stops, they couldn't stop the Chargers offense. Darren Sproles proved he is well worth a starting role in the NFL and Philip Rivers continues to prove me wrong that he is a clutch QB.

And finally, what can be said about the Ravens D? Or more like Ed Reed. The guy just has a knack for the ball and making big plays. Joe Flacco didn't play amazing but as usual, he didn't have to. Chad Pennington threw 4 INT not because he had a bad game, but because the Ravens D had a great game. If the Ravens D play like this against the Titans, Kerry Collins may be driven into retirement.

All in all, not a bad playoff weekend. What started with 12 teams is now down to 8. Plenty of great games to come, all leading up to Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa. Previews to come late this week. In the meantime, occupy yourself with the Fiesta Bowl and BCS Championship. That should be enough.

NFL Wild Card Weekend

Ah, the NFL playoffs are here. And hopefully, like me, you're excited. The winner of the Super Bowl could quite possibly be one of these 8 teams playing this weekend and not the 4 teams kicking back, maxing, relaxing all cool.

In fact, recent history says the Super Bowl champ is coming from the wild card position. The Giants, Colts and Steelers were either a 5 or 6 seed in ther conference. So teams like ATL, PHI, IND and BAL have to be smiling a little.

But enough chatter, how about some predictions right? Well, then here ya go.

Atlanta Falcons (11-5) @ Arizona Cardinals (9-7)
University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale, AZ
4:30pm Saturday - NBC

Talk about two teams that many didn't see making the playoffs. The Falcons have been left for dead since Michael Vick put on an orange jump suit. And the Cardinals have been written off every year because, well, they were just bad. But now, both teams boast a team capable of scoring points and making a run.

The Falcons come in winners of their last 3 so they are hot. Led by a rookie head coach and rookie QB, it's amazing they are where they are. But this team believes in themselves and their running game, led by Michael Turner. The defense can be suspect at times but with good ball control, that may not matter.

The Cardinals won what many call the NFL's worst division and have a defense that could play in the Big 12. Thankfully, Kurt Warner and the offense save the day by scoring a ton of points with an aerial attack we haven't seen since last year's Patriots. (Yea, not that long ago). But just like the Falcons, this team isn't full of playoff vets.

In the end, I think it will come down to which defense slows the other's offense. And the Cardinals have been unable to really stop anyone. The Falcons are playing inspired football right now and despite their lack of playoff experience and some cases, talent, they'll pull a victory in this one, and make Michael Vick proud.

Prediction: Falcons 34, Cardinals 24

Indianapolis Colts (12-4) @ San Diego Chargers (8-8)
Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA
8:00pm Saturday - NBC

At the beginning of the season, most would have felt this would be the AFC Championship. But the Colts were stuck behind the Titans and San Diego started slow so now, we are treated to a dandy in the wild card round.

The Colts are coming into the game blazing hot, winners of their last 9. NFL MVP Peyton Manning is already in playoff form, leading his team to multiple comebacks during the win streak and the team is failr healthy too. And unlike years before, the team doesn't have a bye week to rest, so staying hot won't be a problem.

The Chargers are coming in with a win streak of their own. They won their last 3, including last week's "playoff' game against the Broncos. Injuries may be a factor though for SD. LT and Antonio Gates have been hurting all week. The game is at home so they will have the crowd on their side.

As much as I admire how the Chargers fought their way into the playoffs, there's something to be said about how the Colts fought back from 3-4 and rattled off 9 in a row. The Colts are clicking on all cylinders while the Chargers tend to sputter every now and then. Plus, I hate betting against Peyton Manning in the playoffs.

Prediction: Colts 30, Chargers 14

Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins
Dolphin Stadium - Miami, FL
1:00pm Sunday - CBS

Of all the matchups, this is the one that I am the most unsure about. You have a team like the Ravens with a stout defense and a team like Miami, that has played above expectations every game. And it's a battle of rookie coaches with teams that won a combined 6 games last season.

The Ravens actually beat the Dolphins 27-13 back in Week 7 but a lot has changed since then. Both teams have had time to get better and for the Ravens, mroe time for Joe Flacco to get more comfortable under center. The rookie QB may have never been in the playoffs but if he plays mistake-free, the Ravens D may be able to carry them through.

The Dolphins are winners of 5 straight and only lost one game since that Ravens loss. Chad Pennington has been a rock for them. He's come up with big throw after big throw while Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams provide a pretty potent backfield. Mad props to Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells for this turnaround.

What this game will come down to is stopping the big plays. And if that's the case, I liek Baltimore's defense. It is on the road but the Ravens had a winning record on the road, so obviously, that doesn;t detract them from playing their best ball.

Prediction: Baltimore 20, Miami 14

Philadelphia Eagles @ Minnesota Vikings
H.H.H. Metrodome - Minneapolis, MN
4:30pm Sunday - FOX

This should be a fun one as you have two teams that had to scratch and claw their way into the playoffs and now, are playign each other. Not to mention Brad Childress was the former offensive coordinator for Eagles coach Andy Reid as pupil faces off against teacher.

The Eagles dismantled the Cowboys in Week 17 as Donovan McNabb and company just played possessed. They know they have the talent to beat the Vikings. But with this team, it's all about emotion. When they want a win, they get it. And no matter what calls Andy Reid makes, this team can execute like no other.

The Vikings are sort of an enigma. At times, it looks like they can take any game over, especially with a RB like Adrian Peterson and deep threat like WR Bernard Berrian. But they've been shaky. QB Tarvaris Jackson has played well and needs to again against a good Philly defense.

The Vikings defense is where I think this game will be decided. The Eagles will run the ball a lot and if the Vikes don't stop it, it will make for a long afternoon of football. If they hold the Eagles under 100 rush yards, then they have a good shot of winning. But I don't see that happening.

Prediction: Philadelphia 24, Minnesota 17

Alright, those are the picks. Yep, I picked all road teams. Call me crazy or stupid but I like their chances. Hoping to do a wild-card playoff recap but we'll see just how much time I have. Until then, enjoy the football everyone.