I Love It, Brother

I think that it took most of the sports world by storm when Cliff Lee agreed to a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. New York and Texas were widely thought to be the only two major players in the battle for Lee before last night. As a supporter of the "Anyone But The Yankees" cause, this is good news, in a sense. However, Philadelphia now has the best starting pitching core in the majors since Atlanta's trio of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz over a decade ago. Quite honestly, it may be one of the best pitching rotations in the past few decades. Obviously, that claim is up for debate, but let's take a look at the potential starting rotation for the Phillies next year. Of the five starters (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton), two (Halladay and Lee) are Cy Young winners. A third (Oswalt) has been a Cy Young finalist multiple times. Hamels was the 2008 World Series MVP, and not too long ago was the club's ace. Blanton, while having the least credentials in the group, still posted a 9-6 overall record last season.

The only way I can see Philadelphia not winning the National League is if they have the offensive firepower of a local coach pitch team. Yes, the Phils were sub-par offensively last season, and the departure of Jason Werth does not help matters. However, we saw what happened with San Francisco this past fall; it was almost impossible to earn runs on their spectacular starting rotation. San Francisco's offense only had to squeeze out a few runs a game, and the superior pitching more often than not preserved the small leads. The young core that San Francisco had doesn't even compare to what Philadelphia has now. Four elite pitchers, all in their prime. Unless injuries become an issue, someone better send a memo to all the National League General Managers: You better watch out for the "Philly Phour".

Does anyone else feel even a little bit bad for Brett Favre? Sure, for three years the Favre Chronicles has been a soap-opera worthy of a mid-afternoon TV slot, but it was really kind of sad to see Favre's Iron Man streak come to an end under the circumstances that it did. Not only was the game played in Detroit, where the number of Minnesota fans is about the same as that of residents of the city that still have a job, but to add insult to injury (no pun intended), Favre got to watch his team get crushed. You know it has to be painful to sit on the sidelines (again, no pun intended) as you watch your replacement trip his own running back on a simple handoff. No matter what you think of Favre's antics, you have to admire his desire to play the game. On Yahoo! Sports, Favre is listed as questionable for this weekend's game against Chicago, with chest, ankle, and right shoulder injuries. The man is practically falling apart, yet still will not admit defeat. However, due to many people's perception of him, his greatest assets may always be at least partly overshadowed by his recent behavior. It's unfortunate that Favre's career looks as if it will end more like the final scene of The Hulk, rather than a hero of the game riding off into the sunset as it should.

You heard it here first; in three years, the Miami Hurricanes will make the rivalry with the Florida Gators relevant again. I believe that the Hurricanes made a great move by making Al Golden their new head coach, and I think that Florida fans may be missing Urban Meyer sooner than they think, as the university signed current Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp to be their head coach starting next season. Golden completely turned around a Temple team that hadn't been to a bowl game since 1979 before going to the Eagle Bank Bowl last year. Like Muschamp, Golden is a former defensive coordinator, but has experience running the entire show, and was one of the most sought after young coaches in the game dating back to last year. I think that Golden is much like Meyer, in that he shows the ability to improve a team wherever he goes. Muschamp, while being an extremely talented defensive coordinator, announced that he will institute a pro-style offense at Florida. It is very difficult to successfully run a pro-style offense, and as a defensive coordinator with no prior head coaching experience, will likely be even more difficult for Muschamp. Also, Florida fans can complain about the spread, but one of the reasons Meyer implemented that style of offense is because, as of late, Florida has not been able to recruit the players to run the pro-style. I think we will find that Golden is a true head coach, while Muschamp is just a very talented defensive coordinator. While neither team may be an elite college football power for awhile, I think that Miami will rise and Florida will continue to fall, making this a much more balanced rivalry as long as both of these men are at the helm.



- K. Becks

NCAAF Week 7 Weekend Preview (And MLBCS Preview)

It's been two weeks since I have done a weekend preview for college football. I come back at a crucial time in the season; we're close to the first BCS rankings being revealed, and we already have some surprises. Alabama has gone down, Auburn is the highest ranked team in the SEC, Florida and Texas are both on two game losing streaks, and it has been rumored that had the BCS rankings come out this week, Boise State (gasp!) would hold the top spot in the rankings. Depending on how this weekend plays out, we could have even more parody in season that, like previous years, looks headed to make the BCS system look completely flawed.

5 Games to Pay Attention to This Weekend

Illinois at #13 Michigan State (Saturday, 12 PM EST)

I picked Michigan State to be a team that could surprise in the Big Ten, but I didn't expect them to be doing as well as they are. They don't have either an outstanding offense or defense, but have played very well under pressure, and have the guts that a team needs to have a special season. This weekend's game may be the toughest test for the Spartans thus far, though. Illinois, evident in their close game with Ohio State and then their beatdown of Penn State in Happy Valley, is not that bad. At least, not on defense. They rank next to last in total yards per game on offense, ahead of only Penn State. For the Illini to win, they will need to shut down Spartans quarterback Kirk Cousins and hope they can muster enough points on offense to squeak out a close one. For the Spartans, a balanced offensive attack, and just not giving up any easy points on defense will be key if they want to keep their undefeated season intact.

My Pick: 24-17 Illinois


#21 Missouri at Texas A&M (Saturday, 12 PM EST)

If you wanted to truly evaluate how good the 2010 Missouri Tigers really are, their next three games would be a good thing to keep an eye on. After facing Texas A&M this weekend, the Tigers get to play Oklahoma at home, and then travel to Lincoln to play Nebraska the following week. Not only are these three games important to Missouri, but they are important to determining the entire Big 12 race. If Texas A&M has anything to say about it, Missouri will be an afterthought by this time next weekend. The Aggies have suffered tough losses in consecutive weekends to Oklahoma State and Arkansas, teams that are now both ranked, and also teams that Texas A&M had legitimate shots at beating. The season is slowly starting to slip away for the Aggies, so quarterback Jerrod Johnson needs to step up big in this game and re-start the success train. Starting 0-2 in the Big 12 South usually doesn't garner approval from fans, especially if you're a team from Texas.

My Pick: 38-31 Texas A&M

Texas at #5 Nebraska (Saturday, 3:30 PM EST)

Texas has to be angry. After being easy handled by UCLA, the Longhorns were unable to pull a big upset over rival Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout. After the loss to the Sooners, Texas dropped out of the top 25 for the first time in ten years. Now, after having an off week to think about all this, Texas gets to face yet another Big 12 power, Nebraska, in Lincoln. Mack Brown has the ability to get his players ready for big games such as this one, and all the other factors mentioned before should just add fuel to the fire for the Longhorns. However, they are going to have to play very well in a hostile Lincoln environment in order to pull off the upset. Many people are not aware of just how good Nebraska's defense is, and emotions alone are not going to win the game for Texas. It should be interesting to see how Texas responds in this one.

My Pick: 28-24 Nebraska


#12 Arkansas at #7 Auburn (Saturday, 3:30 PM EST)

Arkansas probably should have beaten Alabama two weeks ago. Unfortunately for Arkansas, Ryan Mallett made some key mistakes late in the game, and now the Razorbacks may be left wondering what could have been if they make it through the rest of the season with just that one loss. In this high profile matchup between two highly ranked SEC teams, it should be a battle of the quarterbacks, so Mallett will get his chance for redemption. On the other side, Auburn's Cam Newtown continues to play well and make my analysis that he is a "poor man's Terrelle Pryor" sound foolish. However, Newton will be going up against a defense much better than anything he's faced this season thus far. Of the defenses he has faced so far, Mississippi State ranks the best in yards per game allowed, giving up 328, good for 36th best in the nation. Arkansas gives up 302, good for 19th best. I highly doubt Arkansas will let Newton run for almost 200 yards and four touchdowns, but we'll have to see.

My Pick: 35-24 Arkansas


#1 Ohio State at #18 Wisconsin (Saturday, 7 PM EST)

Of their last 44 home games, Wisconsin had managed to win 40 of them. In other words, Camp Randall Stadium is where teams' winning streaks go to die. The Buckeyes are hoping to keep their winning streak intact when they travel to Madison to play the Badgers in a night game, which only adds to the hostility already present at Camp Randall during football games. If Wisconsin wants to win this game, they will need to be less predictable on offense. Two weeks ago, Michigan State found that containing the Badger running attack (as well as going for it on fourth down three times) was a recipe for success. Although it is highly unlikely that Jim Tressel will go for it on fourth down that many times (if at all) on the road, he will definitely be aiming to stop Wisconsin running backs John Clay and James White. If Wisconsin can't find a balance between the run and passing attack, they will have a hard time not losing their fifth game in 45 tries at home.

My Pick: 35-31 Ohio State


5 More to Flip To

N.C. State at East Carolina (Saturday, 12 PM EST)

N.C. State has been a major surprise this year. East Carolina is always tough at home, though.

#15 Iowa at Michigan (Saturday, 3:30 PM EST)

If Michigan can't win this game either, then you have to start to wonder if people were too quickly proclaiming the Wolverines as being "back".

#20 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech (Saturday, 3:30 PM EST)

There will undoubtedly be a lot of scoring in this game. When is the Tommy Tuberville we all came to know and love at Auburn going to show up at Texas Tech?

Mississippi State at #22 Florida (Saturday, 7 PM EST)

Urban Meyer would probably have to take off a few weeks for chest pains if the Gators were to drop this game too...

#19 Nevada at Hawaii (Saturday, 11:30 PM EST)

How good is Nevada? Well, better than Cal, that's for sure.


The next portion of this post features my predictions for the MLB's ALCS and NLCS. If you have actually read this entire post up to this point, I thank you.

ALCS (New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers

The Rangers have home field advantage, which I'm sure that the Yankees would like to have. The Rangers also have Cliff Lee, which I know the Yankees would like to have. Of the two, one seems to be more important than the other, and Cliff Lee may end up being one of the most important parts of this series. Home field advantage hasn't meant much to the Yankees, as they were able to beat Minnesota twice at Target Field en route to sweeping the Twins in the ALDS. In the Texas vs. Tampa Bay ALDS, neither team won a single game at home. However, Cliff Lee did manage to win two games for the Rangers, and in order to beat the Yankees, will likely have to do so again in this series. Remember that two game series back in early August between the Rangers and the Yankees? The Rangers showed true tenacity in those games, winning in ten innings in the first and only losing by one run in the second. After that series, I thought "if this team gets a chance against the Yankees in the playoffs, they may be able to surprise some people". With Cliff Lee as their trump card, I still think they can.

Prediction: Rangers in seven


NLCS (Philadelphia Phillies vs. San Francisco Giants)

Unfortunately, the National League's Championship Series isn't as intriguing as the American League's, which isn't something I thought I'd hear myself saying about a month ago. Both teams have extremely good starting pitching, but the Giants have very little offensive firepower. I am one to preach the quote "defense wins championships", but at some point, you also need to acknowledge that to win games, you need to put runs up on the board. With the Giants averaging just three runs per game so far in the playoffs, I don't see how they can stay with the Phillies, even with their great pitching. Remember, not only does San Francisco have offensive issues, but they will have to face the trio of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels. A threesome like that can shut down even the best offenses in the game.

Prediction: Phillies in six



- K. Becks

MLB Divisional Playoffs Predictions

Unfortunately, due to the copious amount of homework that I now have due to college, I don't have the time to produce a long, in-depth post for these predictions. However, I'll give a short explanation for my picks.

American League

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers

The Rays have home field advantage, as well as playoff experience. The Rangers have been the feel good story of the year, but this is probably the end of the road for Texas, barring terrific pitching performances by their top three starters.

Prediction: Rays in four

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees

I want to root for the Twins, but something tells me that the end result will look the same as last year's Divisional Series between these two teams. Once again, pitching will probably be the story of this series, and New York holds the upper hand in that department. The Twins will put up a better fight than last year, but won't be moving on.

Prediction: Yankees in five


National League

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds

If this were a League Championship Series rather than a Divisional Series, my prediction would probably be different. Cincinnati is a tough, gritty team that I think could win a seven game series against Philadelphia. However, the Phillies trio of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels will be very difficult to beat, especially with home field advantage. Whoever wins this series has a great chance of making it to the World Series in my opinion.

Prediction: Phillies in five

San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves

Like the Phillies, San Francisco's top three in their pitching rotation are extremely difficult to beat. Tim Lincecum is playing very well right now, and the Braves weren't exactly lighting it up heading into this postseason. With that being said, San Francisco should be able to take care of an Atlanta team that limped into the playoffs. Literally.

Prediction: Giants in four


Again, sorry that this post is so short and uninformative. Hopefully I can do a more in-depth post when the League Championship Series are set. At any rate, on Friday I will be back with my weekly installment of the college football weekend preview. I should also have some baseball related polls to vote on by tomorrow. Any questions, comments, or thoughts can be sent to aroundthecornsportsblog@gmail.com or by posting in the comments section below. Thanks everyone.



- K. Becks

Hold On There, Partner

We were all about ready to say that the Big Ten might be as good as the SEC this year. Unfortunately for Jim Delany, everyone is holding their tongues to avoid a premature anointment of greatness. The top of the Big Ten, save Ohio State (who rolled to a 43-7 victory over in-state rival Ohio), did not look very good at all this past weekend. Although the Buckeyes won, they still showed a weakness that has proven to be, at least at this point in the season, their only vulnerability; special teams. Iowa got into the mess that they did in the first half thanks to a blocked punt (which resulted in a touchdown) and a kickoff return for a touchdown. Wisconsin didn't look solid on special teams either, other than their block of Arizona State's extra point attempt in the fourth quarter, which ultimately proved to be the difference in a 20-19 Badgers win. What does all this say so far about the Big Ten? Well, since one of their best went down this past weekend, another survived a scare at home, and a third didn't have much trouble against a walkover (but still didn't look great on special teams), they need to fix the special teams dilemma. The weakness was highlighted in Ohio State's game against Miami two weekends ago. If the Big Ten wants to have a realistic shot of dethroning the SEC, they need to be able to contain these speedy return men, of which are plenty in the SEC. Special teams can win or lose games, and if the Big Ten wants to be on the winning side, they need to tighten up the special teams.

Part of being an NFL fan is that you must proclaim your team the greatest with each win, and cover your head to avoid a piece of the sky falling with each loss. This is especially true considering a team which, on paper, has all the tools to hold up the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. Yes, I am talking about the Dallas Cowboys. It is hard to pinpoint what the real problem is for the Cowboys. They have been in close games with teams who may be surprisingly difficult to beat this year (sure, Chicago was a controversial call away from losing in Detroit. They are 2-0, though. Washington followed up their win against Dallas with a valiant effort against the 2-0 Texans). Tony Romo hasn't played terribly, either. I think that Dallas themselves are a little confused, which is why it has been rather quiet from the Cowboys camp. No one is pointing fingers. Yet. However, the Cowboys get to face the Houston Texans this weekend for their first road test. A third loss to start the season and fingers will be flying in every direction. The only mystery will be at whom.

I really hope that the Colorado Rockies make the playoffs. It seems that each year, the Rockies catch fire at precisely the right time in order to make a run for the playoffs, and add excitement to what can often be a rather bland National League picture. Now that Troy Tulowitzki is back, he has energized this Colorado team once again, and is playing like the best player in baseball. If the Rockies do manage to make the playoffs, I don't see why they can't make it all the way to the World Series, much like they did back in 2007. Statistically, the Rockies' pitching performance as a whole is not any better than the Phillies' pitching. However, thanks to the play of guys like Tulowitzski and Colorado's consistent raising of the bar deep into the season, I think it would be an extremely exciting series. If the Rockies don't make in the NLCS, then I think the league is the Phillies for the taking once again (that is, of course, assuming that they make the playoffs as well). I don't see enough from San Diego or San Francisco to suggest otherwise, and I think that Cincinnati's inexperience in the playoffs will ultimately be their demise.


Questions or comments about anything I've written or about anything in sports you'd like to discuss? Send me an email at aroundthecornsportsblog@gmail.com or post a comment in the comments section, and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. Have a Facebook page? Then please check out the Around The Corn Sports Blog fan page, and become a fan if you enjoy the site. Also, remember that you can now type in www.aroundthecorn.com into your browser and be redirected to the blog. Thanks everyone!



- K. Becks