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

It's Been A While

Lots of big stories in sports this week. Texas basketball loses twice. Carlton Fisk slams Mark McGwire. NASCAR decides to relax their rules. Australian Open. Some of them I'll get to writing about later on in the upcoming week, but unfortunately I was unable to get to them when they were hot topics. For all of you that are still in school, you can relate to this: writing papers sucks. Throw writing a paper on top of all my other schoolwork and I've got almost no time for anything else. And due to the fact that at this point the only people who are reading my blogs are people from my school who make fun of the fact that I sign off here with K. Becks, writing new posts is getting progressively lower on my list of things to do.

However, predicting the NFL conference championship games is a must. Here are my picks for the games this weekend.

AFC Championship Game
New York vs. Indianapolis

How many people expected New York to be here? Whether you think Rex Ryan is a savior or just full of hot air, you have to give him credit for taking a team led by a rookie quarterback this far. However, I think that this is the weekend that Cinderella's ride ends. The Colts, unlike the Bengals and the Chargers, have not really been questioned on whether or not they're the real deal. I believe that the answer is obvious. This game could affect Peyton Manning's status as one of the game's best quarterbacks ever. Great quarterbacks deliver, especially when their team is the favorite. If he fails to pull through, with only one Super Bowl to his name, is he really one of the best ever? Fortunately for Peyton, I don't think we'll have to ask that question.

Final Score: 34-14 Indianapolis


NFC Championship Game
New Orleans vs. Minnesota

On paper, this game should be the better of the two this weekend. It's the Old Guy who wants one last shot at the Big One vs. the Talented Guy in his prime who wants his first ring. New Orleans looked very good at home last weekend. Let's remember though that they weren't facing Jared Allen and the Viking defense. If Drew Brees has enough time to find his receivers, then they could be headed to their first ever Super Bowl. However, I think New Orleans will have trouble with Minnesota's defensive front, allowing Minnesota to stay in the game. I predict Brett Favre will drive down the field late in the fourth and complete another thriller to add to his legacy.

Final Score: 38-35 Minnesota


I will try to post a few more entries this week if I can. I can only hope the games this weekend distract me from finishing my paper.


- K. Becks

Back In My Day...

Well, I was going to write about Ohio State upsetting Purdue on Tuesday night, but I think that the game did the talking for itself. Bottom line: when Evan Turner is healthy, he is the best player in the Big 10. Robbie Hummel also deserves a lot of credit for his outstanding first half performance.

Last week, I went 1-3 in picking the NFL playoff games. I think that this week I can better that mark, if only by one game. Here are my picks for the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.

AFC Divisional Round
Baltimore vs. Indianapolis

Baltimore was the shocker of last week; however, I really don't know how good the Patriots actually were. Indianapolis, on the other hand, is the real deal. I've been a supporter of their decision to give up the perfect season in hopes of maximizing their playoff productivity. I don't think that Indy will have any problem beating the Ravens at home. Since the game is in a dome, it should be a high scoring game, and that will favor the Colts. Look for Peyton Manning to have a good day.

Final Score: 35-21 Indianapolis


New York vs. San Diego

With all due respect to the Cowboys, I believe that San Diego was the hottest team going into the playoffs. Rex Ryan and the Jets aren't going to do anything to slow down the 'Bolts either. I believe both quarterbacks have a chance to take their team to the Super Bowl; but in Mark Sanchez's case, I mean future Super Bowls. Sanchez has shown some good stuff, but is too young to lead his team to a victory against a team like the Chargers. Remember, New York's win last week was against the Bengals, who had a rollercoaster of a season to say the least. San Diego will keep on rolling here.

Final Score: 31-17 San Diego



NFC Divisional Round
Arizona vs. New Orleans

This game has the potential to be the best one of the weekend. It's been a month since New Orleans' last win, and unless they come out firing on all cylinders, they could be in trouble. Let's remember that the turning point (that is, when everyone started saying "How about them Saints?") was after they beat New England back in November. The Patriots, as it turned out, weren't as good as everyone thought. If the Saints don't get after Kurt Warner and allow him time in the pocket, then they could be done for the season. It should be close, but I'm calling the upset here.

Final Score: 38-35 Arizona


Dallas vs. Minnesota

This is a tough game to call. Dallas is playing very well right now. But Minnesota, when Adrian Peterson doesn't turn the ball over, is very hard to stop as well. I like the experience of Brett Favre over Tony Romo. However, the Vikings need to stop guys like Cowboys TE Jason Witten if they want to win. If the linebackers forget about him, then Romo will look very good in this game. I like Minnesota in a close one.

Final Score: 35-31 Minnesota



- K. Becks