Two weeks in, two injured star running backs. In 35-3 blowout win over the Steelers, the Bills last their superstar Thurman Thomas to injury. The Lions so far have survived without Barry Sanders getting off to a 2-0 start after nipping the Packers 14-13. The big game of the week was the Rams upsetting the defending Super Bowl champion Giants 23-20 in overtime, and the Rams are now 2-0.
Week 2 Results
Seattle 20, N.Y. Jets 14
SEA: 2-0, NJY: 1-1
-Tommy Kane: 4 rec, 131 yards
Detroit 14, Green Bay 13
DET: 2-0, GB: 0-2
-Rodney Peete: 167 yards passing
L.A. Raiders 28, Denver 24
RAI: 2-0, DEN: 1-1
-Bo Jackson: 117 yards rushing
Minnesota 28, Atlanta 24
MIN: 2-0, ATL: 0-2
-Steve Jordan: 4 rec, 106 yards
Houston 23, Cincinnati 21
HOU: 1-1, CIN: 0-2
-Curtis Duncan: 5 rec, 117 yards
Cleveland 31, New England 14
CLE: 1-1, NE: 0-2
-Bernie Kosar: 313 yards passing
New Orleans 27, Kansas City 24
NO: 1-1, KC: 1-1
-Steve Walsh: 220 yards passing
Miami 28, Indianapolis 21
MIA: 1-1, IND: 1-1
-Dan Marino: 193 yards passing
San Francisco 34, San Diego 14
SF: 1-1, SD: 1-1
-Jerry Rice: 7 rec, 144 yards
L.A. Rams 23, N.Y. Giants 20 OT
RAM: 2-0, NYG: 1-1
-Jim Everett: 176 yards passing
Buffalo 35, Pittsburgh 3
BUF: 2-0, PIT: 0-2
-Thurman Thomas injured
Philadelphia 23, Phoenix 17
PHI: 2-0, PHX: 0-2
-Heath Sherman: 4 rushes, 73 yards
Chicago 20, Tampa Bay 19
CHI: 1-1, TB: 0-2
-Neal Anderson: 96 yards rushing
Washington 31, Dallas 14
WAS: 1-1, DAL: 1-1
-Earnest Byner: 130 yards rushing
Leaders thru Week 2
Passing Leaders
Rating: Randall Cunnigham, 235.0
Yards: Bernie Kosar, 519
TD: Cunnigham, 7
Receiving Leaders
Rec: Jerry Rice, 10
Yards: Rice, 248
TD: Many with 3
Rushing Leaders
Yards: Earnest Byner, 199
TD: Many with 3
Defensive Leaders
INT: Many with 2
Sacks: Michael Cofer; Al Baker, 5
Wally Joyner - First Baseman
California/Anaheim Angels 1986-1991, 2001
Kansas City Royals 1992-1995
San Diego Padres 1996-1999
Atlanta Braves 2000
Awards
None
All-Star Selections: 1 (1986)
League Leader
None of note
Career Ranks
None of note
Hall of Fame Stats
Gray Ink: Batting - 16 (1106) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 24.9 (482) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 27.5 (603) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Batters: Hal McRae, Jeff Conine, Chris Chambliss, Keith Hernandez, Cecil Cooper, Don Mattingly, Felipe Alou, Ken Singleton, Dusty Baker, George Hendrick
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Leven (WARP3)
1986: 21/7.5
1987: 22/8.4
1988: 22/7.7
1989: 19/6.9
1990: 9/2.6
1991: 25/8.2
1992: 14/4.7
1993: 17/7.3
1994: 11/5.0
1995: 18/6.9
1996: 16/4.1
1997: 21/5.2
1998: 22/3.9
1999: 7/2.4
2000: 7/1.0
2001: 2/0.6
Career Win Shares: 253
Career WARP3: 82.3
Would he get my vote?
No. I'm exercising my one year, steroid user boycott when it comes to Joyner...okay maybe not. Nice little hitter but "nice little hitter" isn't a ringing endorsement for a first baseman let alone one who played in the era Joyner did. Great start to his career and I have faint memories after Mark McGwire's horrific 1991 season of A's fans hoping they would sign Joyner as a free agent and release McGwire. Good thing team's typically don't listen to their fans.
Thank you to Oregon State Vanessa Hudgens I do not have to worry about a Cal national championship, although still need to some help to avoid them getting to the Rose Bowl.
With the BCS Rankings out I probably shouldn't even bother with this anymore but maybe one more week. Pretty simple there are five undefeated BCS teams so they make up my Top 5. This week though I now have to include two loss teams in the rankings and even rank some of them above one loss teams but I will rank all one loss teams. Now one rule that I always stick by is if you have two teams with the same number of losses and who have played each other, you must rank the winner of the head-to-head match-up higher. As much as I hate Cal there is no justifying ranking them below Oregon. Of course this rule has to be thrown out when you have a situation like with LSU, South Carolina, and Kentucky. LSU beat South Carolina, South Carolina beat Kentucky, Kentucky beat LSU. In this case given that yesterday's game could have gone either way and that LSU beat South Carolina convincingly, I've ranked LSU above Kentucky.
1. Ohio State
2. South Florida
3. Boston College
4. Arizona State
5. Kansas
6. LSU
7. South Carolina
8. Oklahoma
9. Kentucky
10. West Virginia
11. California
12. Oregon
13. Missouri
14. Virginia Tech
15. Auburn
16. Florida
17. Cincinnati
18. Texas Tech
19. Tennessee
20. USC
21. Virginia
22. Kansas State
23. Connecticut
24. Hawaii
25. Boise State
Resident TSM Astros fan vivalaultra inspired me by his excitement over me mentioning Glenn Davis in the new TWiB thread and bringing up him being traded to the Orioles. During the '90/'91 offseason the Astros traded their slugging first baseman for three prospects named Curt Schilling, Steve Finley, and Pete Harnisch. Davis played three injury filled years in Baltimore while Schilling and Finley are still active players. Quite the coup by the Astros but Schilling and Finley's best years would come away from Houston as they would both be traded within the next three years.
This gave me an idea, which I've actually thought of before, of looking at the evolution of a trade and see what other moves it spawned. I orignally was going to post this in the TWiB thread but there is an insane number of moves that that one trade created and changed the lives of many players. This is only from the Astros perspective or otherwise this would go on forever. Now since I'm lazy I'm only C&Ping the transactions from baseball-reference.com.
Fun Facts from the Evolution of the Glenn Davis Trade
-13 future trades, the last made in 2004
-61 Players traded
-Acquired Brad Ausmus from the Tigers, then traded him back to the Tigers, and then traded back for him. If he's never traded again by the Astros he will be the last connection to the Davis trade.
Glenn Davis
January 10, 1991: Traded by the Houston Astros to the Baltimore Orioles for Pete Harnisch, Curt Schilling, and Steve Finley.
Curt Schilling
April 2, 1992: Traded by the Houston Astros to the Philadelphia Phillies for Jason Grimsley.
Jason Grimsley
March 30, 1993: Released by the Houston Astros.
Pete Harnisch
November 28, 1994: Traded by the Houston Astros to the New York Mets for players to be named later. The New York Mets sent Todd Beckerman (minors) (December 6, 1994) and Juan Castillo (April 12, 1995) to the Houston Astros to complete the trade.
Steve Finley
December 28, 1994: Traded by the Houston Astros with a player to be named later, Ken Caminiti, Andujar Cedeno, Roberto Petagine, and Brian Williams to the San Diego Padres for Derek Bell, Doug Brocail, Ricky Gutierrez, Pedro Martinez (the other one), Phil Plantier, and Craig Shipley. The Houston Astros sent Sean Fesh (minors) (May 1, 1995) to the San Diego Padres to complete the trade.
Phil Plantier
July 19, 1995: Traded by the Houston Astros to the San Diego Padres for Rich Loiselle and Jeff Tabaka.
Pedro A. Martinez
October 10, 1995: Traded by the Houston Astros to the San Diego Padres for Ray Holbert.
Ray Holbert
December 15, 1996: Signed as a Free Agent with the Detroit Tigers.
Craig Shipley
January 5, 1996: Signed as a Free Agent with the San Diego Padres.
Rich Loiselle
July 23, 1996: Traded by the Houston Astros to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Danny Darwin.
Doug Brocail
December 10, 1996: Traded by the Houston Astros with Brian Hunter, Todd Jones, Orlando Miller, and cash to the Detroit Tigers for Brad Ausmus, Jose Lima, Trever Miller, C.J. Nitkowski, and Daryle Ward.
Jeff Tabaka
January 10, 1997: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cincinnati Reds.
Danny Darwin
February 7, 1997: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox.
Brad Ausmus & C.J. Nitkowski
January 14, 1999: Traded by the Houston Astros to the Detroit Tigers for Paul Bako, Dean Crow, Brian Powell, Carlos Villalobos (minors), and Mark Persails (minors).
Ricky Gutierrez
December 20, 1999: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago Cubs.
Derek Bell
December 23, 1999: Traded by the Houston Astros with Mike Hampton to the New York Mets for Roger Cedeno, Octavio Dotel, and Kyle Kessel (minors).
Trever Miller
March 29, 2000: Traded by the Houston Astros to the Philadelphia Phillies for Yorkis Perez.
Paul Bako
April 11, 2000: Purchased by the Florida Marlins from the Houston Astros.
Yorkis Perez
July 24, 2000: Released by the Houston Astros.
Roger Cedeno
December 11, 2000: Traded by the Houston Astros with Chris Holt and Mitch Meluskey to the Detroit Tigers for Brad Ausmus, Doug Brocail, and Nelson Cruz.
Jose Lima
June 23, 2001: Traded by the Houston Astros to the Detroit Tigers for Dave Mlicki.
Brian Powell
November 30, 2001: Signed as a Free Agent with the Detroit Tigers.
Doug Brocail
November 11, 2002: Granted Free Agency.
Nelson Cruz
December 16, 2002: Traded by the Houston Astros to the Colorado Rockies for Victor Hall (minors).
Daryle Ward
January 25, 2003: Traded by the Houston Astros to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Ruddy Lugo (minors).
Octavio Dotel
June 24, 2004: Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Houston Astros to the Oakland Athletics. The Oakland Athletics sent Mike Wood and Mark Teahen (minors) to the Kansas City Royals. The Houston Astros sent John Buck and cash to the Kansas City Royals. The Kansas City Royals sent Carlos Beltran to the Houston Astros.
Carlos Beltran
January 11, 2005: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
I realized that I haven't done a single entry on the NFL out of the first 90. That mainly has to do with that the NFL doesn't interest me nearly as much as it used too. And a lot of that has to do with the current state of my San Francisco 49ers. It's tough to get too inerested when you're force fed your terrible team every Sunday in which I can't typically make it through an entire a game before changing the channel. When your team is this bad there's no point in paying much attention to other scores as every other game is inconsequential when your team has no shot at the playoffs.
So I decided I'll every once a while during the season come up with some total random list of useless NFL facts and useless facts is the true heart of this blog. So this week, since it is Week 1, I give you the Week 1 results of every eventual Super Bowl champion. Before the list here are a few useless facts to throw out.
-Eventual Super Bowl champions are 33-6-1 overall in Week 1.
-1981 49ers were the first eventual Super Bowl champ to lose their Week 1 game.
-Of the six teams who have defeated the eventual Super Bowl champ in Week 1, none of them made the playoffs.
-Only once has the eventual Super Bowl champion played the defending Super Bowl champion, 1976 when the Raiders beat the Steelers.
-For three straights from 2001-2003 the eventual Super Bowl champion lost it's Week 1 game, matching the total number of times the eventual Super Bowl champ had lost the previous 35 years.
1966
Packers 24, Colts 3
1967
Packers 17, Lions 17 tie
1968
Jets 20, Chiefs 19
1969
Chiefs 27, Chargers 9
1970
Colts 16, Chargers 14
1971
Cowboys 49, Bills 37
1972
Dolphins 20, Chiefs 10
1973
Dolphins 21, 49ers 13
1974
Steelers 30, Colts 0
1975
Steelers 37, Chargers 0
1976
Raiders 31, Steelers 28
1977
Cowboys 16, Vikings 10
1978
Steelers 28, Bills 17
1979
Steelers 16, Patriots 13
1980
Raiders 27, Chiefs 14
1981
Lions 24, 49ers 17
1982
Redskins 37, Eagles 34
1983
Raiders 20, Bengals 10
1984
49ers 30, Lions 27
1985
Bears 38, Bucs 28
1986
Cowboys 31, Giants 28
1987
Redskins 34, Eagles 24
1988
49ers 34, Saints 33
1989
49ers 30, Colts 24
1990
Giants 27, Eagles 20
1991
Redskins 45, Lions 0
1992
Cowboys 23, Redskins 10
1993
Redskins 35, Cowboys 16
1994
49ers 44, Raiders 14
1995
Cowboys 35, Giants 0
1996
Packers 34, Bucs 3
1997
Broncos 19, Chiefs 3
1998
Broncos 27, Patriots 21
1999
Rams 27, Ravens 10
2000
Ravens 16, Steelers 0
2001
Bengals 23, Patriots 17
2002
Saints 26, Bucs 20
2003
Bills 31, Patriots 0
2004
Patriots 27, Colts 24
2005
Steelers 34, Titans 7
Just got a home a little while ago from my first A's game of the year against the Rangers. There's that old cheesy saying that everytime you watch a baseball game you might see something you've never seen before and today was that day for me. Was really looking forward to seeing Rich Harden pitch since he came pretty damn close to throwing a no hitter against the Rangers last season and seeing Baseball Tonight's favortie pitcher Vincente Padilla. The weather was miserable early as we've had about six weeks straight of rain in the Bay Area and it although it never really poured today there was non-stop drizzle for about the first three innings.
It was evident early on that Harden wasn't on today as he had trouble finding the strike zone and would end up walking five on the day. In the 4th Mark Teixeira lead off with a double to right, missing a homerun by about two feet. Phil Nevin came up next and I saw something I'm not sure I've seen before or at least something you don't see very often. He grounded to ball to right to Marco Scutaro for Buster Olney's favorite thing a productive out. Atlhough it didn't turn out that way as Scutaro from 2nd threw to 3rd to get Teixeira. You'll often see that play made by a shortstop but I don't know if I've a second baseman make that play. Of course there's a fine line in baseball between a head's up play and a stupid play and I'm not sure Teixeira didn't beat the throw to 3rd, I was on the first base side so I didn't have a good view of the play, but they got the out and probably saved a run that inning. Now a fielder's choice isn't exactly something I'm gonna remember or worth a blog entry over but I did have something to remember in the 6th.
In the 5th, Nick Swisher made a nice leaping grab against the wall to rob Gerald Laird of extra bases and then with two out in the bottom of the inning crushed a towering homerun to right to give the A's a 2-1 lead. Harden seemed to be settling in by then but with two out in the 6th he competely lost the strike zone again, walking Michael Young and Teixeira. Next batter, Nevin, homerun, 4-2 Rangers, and the A's staring at a 5th straight loss. But then it happeend in the bottom of the inning.
Eric Chavez. First pitch. Homerun.
Frank Thomas. First pitch. Homerun.
Milton Bradley. First pitch. Homerun.
Three pitches, three homeruns, and that's it for Padilla. Absolutely amazing stuff. I've never seen back-to-back-to-back homeruns live in person and I don't think I've ever seen it happen on three straight pitches, let alone the first three pitches of an inning. Very cool to see a first ballot Hall of Famer in Thomas mixed in there as well. The rest of the game was fairly uneventful but that was a moment I'll never forget.
Since this blog is about nostalgia for the most part and since I'm talking about the A's and three homeruns might as well bring up the times I've seen three homeruns by one player in person. First one came on May 7, 1991 against Baltimore as Harold Banies hit three homeruns. Hit a two run homerun off of Ben McDonald in the 1st, a three run homerun off of Dave Johnson in the 4th, and a solo homerun off of Jeff Robinson it the 6th. He had a chance for a four homeruns in the 8th but they Orioles walked him. Second time I saw it happen was June 11, 1999 against Los Angeles as Miguel Tejada pulled off the feat. Two run homer against Carlos Perez in the 1st, two run homer against Onan Masaoka in the 3rd, and solo homerun against Doug Bochtler in the 7th.
After the 2001, 2002, 2003 ALDS and a choke the last week of the season in 2004 I'm a little weary whenever the A's make things more interesting than it neeeds to be as I showed last night. But tonight they made it easy. Angels lose before the A's game ends and the A's crush the Mariners 12-3 for division title #14. Congratulations to Jason Kendall and Mark Kotsay on their first trip to the postseason.
For work and family reasons I can't make it to the ALDS but I am going to purchase ALCS tickets just in case. Hey they got to get out the division series eventually, right?
Well Jose Reyes will not repeat Albert Pujols' feat last season of leading the race wire to wire, then losing the real MVP, but he's not far from the now much fatter top spot. To no surprise at all J.J Hardy's fast start has come crashing down to earth and he is no where to be seen this time around after competing for the top spot last time. Barry Bonds has also cooled off but his rate stats are still way too good to leave out of the Top 10. Russell Martin might be this year's Joe Mauer and I can only hope all around spaz Eric Byrnes' numbers fall off a cliff like they normally do. Also of note the Marlins lead the way in both leagues with three players in the Top 10 but mediocre pitching from both their rotation and bullpen have done them in so far.
10. Josh Willingham, Marlins
.267/.373/.475, 52 RC, 131 OPS+, .305 EQA, 15.6 VORP, 12.2 Win Shares
9. Barry Bonds, Giants
.282/.488/.564, 43 RC, 181 OPS+, .365 EQA, 24.5 VORP, 10.3 Win Shares
8. Eric Byrnes, Diamondbacks
.313/.375/.512, 40 RC, 129 OPS+, .302 EQA, 21.8 VORP, 12.1 Win Shares
7. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
.321/.391/.496, 45 RC, 141 OPS+, .312 EQA, 27.9. VORP, 10.5 Win Shares
6. Chase Utley, Phillies
.302/.383/.551, 41 RC, 144 OPS+, .314 EQA, 25.3 VORP, 11.3 Win Shares
5. Adrian Gonzalez, Padres
.296/.358/.514, 51 RC, 138 OPS+, .308 EQA, 17.6 VORP, 12.6 Win Shares
4. Russell Martin, Dodgers
.297/.367/.474, 40 RC, 122 OPS+, .299 EQA, 20.6 VORP, 12.9 Win Shares
3. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins
.330/.398/.590, 49 RC, 167 OPS+, .329 EQA, 27.6 VORP, 12.0 Win Shares
2. Jose Reyes, Mets
.308/.394/.453, 50 RC, 132 OPS+, .304 EQA, 27.1 VORP, 14.0 Win Shares
1. Prince Fielder, Brewers
.294/.381/.645, 52 RC, 169 OPS+, .332 EQA, 29.4 VORP, 13.5 Win Shares
Magglio Ordonez still holds down the top spot in the A.L. but Vladimir Guerrero is right on his tail and A-Rod isn't too behind as well. There's a big drop off those three with the rest of the pack featuring Ichiro Suzuki making a potential MVP run just in time for free agency. Only thing else of note is that I will have all of Dan Haren's babies if he continues to pitch this way all season.
10. Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
.338/.426/.529, 48 RC, 151 OPS+, .314 EQA, 27.0 VORP, 10.9 Win Shares
9. David Ortiz, Red Sox
.330/.444/.599, 50 RC, 173 OPS+, .336 EQA, 34.0 VORP, 11.0 Win Shares
8. Victor Martinez, Indians
.322/.382/.551, 48 RC, 148 OPS+. .308 EQA, 24.4 VORP, 13.6 Win Shares
7. Dan Haren, A's
272 ERA+, 3.62 K/BB, 0.86 WHIP, 36.0 VORP, 12.0 Win Shares
6. Orlando Cabrera, Angels
.333/.379/.449, 43 RC, 125 OPS+, .286 EQA, 23.0 VORP, 14.6 Win Shares
5. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
.336/.388/.449, 52 RC, 128 OPS+, .298 EQA, 25.9 VORP, 13.2 Win Shares
4. Grady Sizemore, Indians
.283/.400/.485, 52 RC, 138 OPS+, .302 EQA, 25.2 VORP, 13.8 Win Shares
3. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
.300/.400/.648, 58 RC, 179 OPS+, .330 EQA, 35.2 VORP, 13.2 Win Shares
2. Vladimir Guerrero, Angels
.341/.444/.589, 57 RC, 178 OPS+, .342 EQA, 37.2 VORP, 16.0 Win Shares
1. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers
.367/.439/.668, 61 RC, 191 OPS+, .349 EQA, 41.9 VORP, 14.4 Win Shares
Let's see so far I've taken away MVPs from Andre Dawson, Willie Hernandez, and Willie Stargell. But now I have to do something truly painful...take away an MVP from a former member of the Oakland A's. I'm getting choked up just thinking about it.
In 1992 Dennis Eckersley was the A.L. MVP & Cy Young winner just like Hernandez eight years earlier. Eck was his usual dominante self at that time with a 51 saves, 1.91 ERA, 8.45 K/BB Ratio, and 0.91 WHIP. There was one problem. Eck defined what the closer position has become today and that is one inning and done. In '92 he pitched 80 innings which as it turned out would end up being the most innings he'd ever throw as a closer. But a pitcher throwing 80 innings can't even come close to being truly the most valuable player on his own team let alone entire league. Now I loved Eckersley, he was a great story as a recovering alcoholic, and I fully supported him getting into the Hall of Fame due his unique career line. This is the guy who during a two year span in 1989 and 1990 in 131 innings, he had 128 strikeouts and walked only seven batters...SEVEN! But he was quite possibly one of the worst choices ever for MVP.
Now in 1984 redo I said Hernandez wasn't deserving of serious consideration for MVP but that he may cracked the Top 15 and even though he wasn't the best choice for Cy Young, he wasn't a bad choice either. I can not say the same for Eckersley as it'd be quite a while before I'd reach him on a list of the most valuable in 1992 and there were a handful of pitchers who were much more deserving of winning the Cy Young such as Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, and Kevin Appier. As for value to his own team Eckersley was no where near as valuable as Mark McGwire and Rickey Henderson that season. He was very important to the A's winning their 4th division title in five years but you have to play eight innings to get to him and other players have to make bigger impacts for them to come out on top...which you can pretty much say about every closer today.
So today I take away the MVP from an Oakland Athletic...but maybe I'll just turn around and give it to another? Maybe it was one of the three Toronto Blue Jays in the Top 10? Or maybe it was someone who received no first place votes? Ya okay you probably figured it out by now.
Actual 1992 Results
1) Dennis Eckersley 2) Kirby Puckett 3) Joe Carter 4) Mark McGwire 5) Dave Winfield 6) Roberto Alomar 7) Mike Devereaux 8) Frank Thomas 9) Cecil Fielder 10) Paul Molitor 11) Carlos Baerga 12) Edgar Martinez 13) Jack Morris 14t) Brady Anderson 14t) Roger Clemens 16) Juan Gonzalez 17) Ken Griffey Jr. 18) Pat Listach 19) Jack McDowell 20) George Bell 21t) Mike Bordick 21t) Mike Mussina 23) Albert Belle
#10
175 ERA+, 3.35 K/BB, 1.07 WHIP, 64.9 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#9
.315/.394/.467, 107 RC, 138 OPS+, .316 EQA, 58.4 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#8
.343/.404/.544, 116 RC, 163 OPS+, .344 EQA, 76.4 VORP, 24 Win Shares
#7
.290/.377/.491, 108 RC, 137 OPS+, .316 EQA, 54.0 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#6
.312/.354/.455, 104 RC, 128 OPS+, .305 EQA, 63.3 VORP, 28 Win Shares
#5
.329/.374/.490, 116 RC, 138 OPS+, .315 EQA, 64.1 VORP, 31 Win Shares
#4
.320/.389/.461, 110 RC, 140 OPS+, .325 EQA, 67.4 VORP, 28 Win Shares
#3
.268/.385/.585, 105 RC, 175 OPS+, .350 EQA, 64.7 VORP, 29 Win Shares
#2
.310/.405/.427, 98 RC, 129 OPS+, .322 EQA, 67.9 VORP, 34 Win Shares
#1
.323/.439/.536, 136 RC, 174 OPS+, .361 EQA, 89.3 VORP, 33 Win Shares
Hey take away an MVP from a former A's player and give it to a current A's player, GENIUS!
Thomas did not receive a single first place vote. He and the White Sox were slightly better the year before and he finished 3rd. He only hit 24 homeruns but had 46 doubles so he gets punished for supposed loss of power. Some how Joe Carter received four first place votes despite the great year Alomar had. Okay I know why, the almighty RBI but even he didn't lead the league that year as Cecil Fielder did. George Bell received three voting points with a spectacular line of .255/.294/.418 but Shane Mack didn't receive a single vote.
First half awards, except Manager of the Year which I could careless about. The smart managers are usually smart every year and the dumb managers are usually dumb every year. The award itself is striclty based preseason predictions and who exceeds them.
National League
Starting with the MVP of course in my view it is still Albert Pujols' award to lose but in the view of the baseball writer's it appers to be David Wright's award to lose. If the Mets continue to blow away the rest of the N.L. and Wright continues to hit as his current pace he many win the award rather easiy. As you'll see I don't even consider Wright the best player on his team in the first half. Carlos Beltran is getting zero respect simply because he signed a huge contract and because he underachived last year. You'll hear Jose Reyes' name mentioned for MVP more than Beltran's.
10. Nick Johnson, Nationals
.295/.421/.538, 65 RC, .319 EQA, 33.8 VORP, 16 Win Shares
9. Carlos Lee, Brewers
.290/.353/.563, 69 RC, .297 EQA, 27.8 VORP, 17 Win Shares
8. Bobby Abreu, Phillies
.293/.447/.467, 69 RC, .312 EQA, 27.8 VORP, 17 Win Shares
7. Jose Reyes, Mets
.300/.357/.481, 71 RC, .285 EQA, 34.5 VORP, 17 Win Shares
6. Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks
183 ERA+, 4.90 K/BB, 1.11 WHIP, 51.2 VORP, 15 Win Shares
5. David Wright, Mets
.316/.386/.575, 75 RC, .310 EQA, 36.8 VORP, 17 Win Shares
4. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins
.334/.442/.566, 73 RC, .325 EQA, 42.2 VORP, 16 Win Shares
3. Lance Berkman, Astros
.317/.405/.607, 77 RC, .320 EQA, 36.9 VORP, 19 Win Shares
2. Carlos Beltran, Mets
.279/.388/.606, 69 RC, .315 EQA, 38.7 VORP, 20 Win Shares
1. Albert Pujols, Cardinals
.316/.435/.703, 79 RC, .350 EQA, 46.4 VORP, 22 Win Shares
For Cy Young this was a pretty easy choice of Brandon Webb as he's been a cut above the competition all year. Jason Schmidt is not getting any notice because of a 6-5 record but he's been dominant. For 3rd it was a toss up between Chris Capuano and Bronson Arroyo but I gave the nod to Capuano for his K/BB ratio.
3. Chris Capuano, Brewers
141 ERA+, 4.48 K/BB, 1.18 WHIP, 39.0 VORP, 13 Win Shares
2. Jason Schmidt, Giants
163 ERA+, 2.50 K/BB, 1.11 WHIP, 44.4 VORP, 12 Win Shares
1. Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks
Rookie of the Year is another fairly easy choice of Dan Uggla although if I had to bet I think Ryan Zimmerman may end up emerging as the top rookie by the end of the year. Prince Fielder has only 8 Win Shares and a .320 OBP in case you were wondering where he is.
3. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
.271/.337/.413, 50 RC, .268 EQA, 19.1 VORP, 10 Win Shares
2. Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals
.287/.350/.478, 58 RC, .278 EQA, 15.3 VORP, 13 Win Shares
1. Dan Uggla, Marlins
.307/.366/.510, 61 RC, .292 EQA, 30.0 VORP, 13 Win Shares
American League
Travis Hafner I think deserves the crown as the most underrated player in baseball now. He's arguably been the best hitter in baseball not named Albert Pujols over the last two and a half years yet he still has yet to make an All-Star team. The race is wide open but Hafner doesn't have a prayer unless the Indians go on another second half run and even then it seems highly unlikely they'll get close enough to the Tigers and White Sox for anyone to really notice. Where's David Ortiz? This was actually the first time all year I even gave consideration to Ortiz but he ended about 12th for me. The writers love him because he's "clutch" yet he's hitting a modest .280 with RISP and of course because he leads the leauge in the almighty RBI. Manny Ramirez is besting him in AVG/OBP/SLG and has hit .303 with RISP.
10. Curtis Granderson, Tigers
.278/.367/.462, 64 RC, .285 EQA, 23.1 VORP, 17 Win Shares
9. Carl Crawford, Devil Rays
.319/.359/.521, 72 RC, .297 EQA, 28.9 VORP, 17 Win Shares
8. Jason Giambi, Yankees
.260/.415/.611, 70 RC, .329 EQA, 33.5 VORP, 15 Win Shares
7. Johan Santana, Twins
155 ERA+, 5.75 K/BB, 1.00 WHIP, 42.9 VORP, 15 Win Shares
6. Derek Jeter, Yankees
.345/.427/.462, 68 RC, .314 EQA, 42.0 VORP, 16 Win Shares
5. Jermaine Dye, White Sox
.318/.397/.646, 66 RC, .326 EQA, 36.2 VORP, 16 Win Shares
4. Manny Ramirez, Red Sox
.306/.434/.615, 70 RC, .335 EQA, 38.4 VORP, 17 Win Shares
3. Joe Mauer, Twins
.378/.447/.535, 60 RC, .331 EQA, 44.2 VORP, 18 Win Shares
2. Jim Thome, White Sox
.298/.414/.651, 80 RC, .334 EQA, 43.4 VORP, 18 Win Shares
1. Travis Hafner, Indians
.322/.461/.650, 88 RC, .361 EQA, 55.8 VORP, 17 Win Shares
For Cy Young there are three candidates that are head and shoulders above everyone else. I couldn't put Liriano over Santana and Halladay because Liriano has thrown 40+ fewer innings. If they were hitters he'd have about 120+ less plate appearances. That's tough to make up.
3. Francisco Liriano, Twins
250 ERA+, 4.43 K/BB, 0.97 WHIP, 41.9 VORP, 14 Win Shares
2. Roy Halladay, Blue Jays
164 ERA+, 4.50 K/BB, 1.03 WHIP, 44.0 VORP, 14 Win Shares
1. Johan Santana, Twins
ROY was a pretty easy list to put together. Myself personally I think both Liriano and Papelbon will level off in the second half as there is no way two rookie pitcher's are going to be this unstoppable all year long. Papelbon's ERA+ is insane but he'll have some bad luck eventually that will shoot that ERA up.
3. Justin Verlander, Tigers
147 ERA+, 2.09 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 35.4 VORP, 12 Win Shares
2. Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox
803 ERA+, 5.88 K/BB, 0.72 WHIP, 28.3 VORP, 12 Win Shares
1. Francisco Liriano, Twins
It's the All-Star Break so might as well give out some mideason awards. I honestly haven't paid much attention to the Cy Young or Rookie of the Year races this year and when I did I realized I made a mistake on my last MVP Watch.
National League Midseason Awards
Starting of course with the MVP, since my last MVP Watch was just 10 days there isn't going to be much change. But there was a major change on the N.L. side as after dropping out of the Top 10 last time in this short span Hanley Ramirez has been on fire and makes a huge jump back into the race which also goes to show you how wide open the N.L. race is. To go along with Miguel Cabrera it is amazing that a team that his five games under .500 has two legit MVP candidates going into the break but neither has prayer for the writer's award if the Marlins don't make a second half run. The other major change was after looking at the Cy Young race I decided I overrated Brad Penny last time around so he's out of the Top 10. Other than that very little change, Chase Utley holds the top spot going into the break, Barry Bonds is slowly moving back up the rankings, and Prince Fielder continues to slowly move down the rankings. I'm going to start losing faith in Win Shares though if it continues to think Eric Byrnes has been the MVP on the N.L.
10. Edgar Renteria, Braves
.319/.384/.481, 63 RC, 130 OPS+, .304 EQA, 32.7 VORP, 15.6 Win Shares
9. Albert Pujols, Cardinals
.310/.411/.516, 61 RC, 146 OPS+, .319 EQA, 28.6 VORP, 16.3 Win Shares
8. Eric Byrnes, Diamondbacks
.306/.363/.496, 60 RC, 119 OPS+, .288 EQA, 25.4 VORP, 17.8 Win Shares
7. Russell Martin, Dodgers
.306/.374/.492, 60 RC, 125 OPS+, .300 EQA, 32.1 VORP, 17.0 Win Shares
6. Prince Fielder, Brewers
.284/.376/.620, 64 RC, 158 OPS+, .321 EQA, 35.5 VORP, 14.8 Win Shares
5. Jose Reyes, Mets
.307/.387/.439, 65 RC, 123 OPS+, .299 EQA, 35.2 VORP, 16.8 Win Shares
4. Barry Bonds, Giants
.295/.512/.589, 64 RC, 191 OPS+, .379 EQA, 41.6 VORP, 15.7 Win Shares
3. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
.331/.388/.538, 68 RC, 148 OPS+, .318 EQA, 45.1 VORP, 16.0 Win Shares
2. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins
.324/.393/.576, 70 RC, 158 OPS+, .327 EQA, 39.5 VORP, 16.9 Win Shares
1. Chase Utley, Phillies
.325/.401/.571, 69 RC, 151 OPS+, .322 EQA, 42.7 VORP, 17.4 Win Shares
On to N.L. Cy Young, even though it is a close race it is hard to go against Jake Peavy at the moment. This was a really easy list to come up with as there's big drop off after the Top 3. Note Win Shares listed are pitching only.
3. Chris Young, Padres
202 ERA+, 2.75 K/BB, 1.06 WHIP, 35.6 VORP, 11.1 Win Shares
2. Brad Penny, Dodgers
183 ERA+, 2.42 K/BB, 1.19 WHIP, 41.7 VORP, 14.2 Win Shares
1. Jake Peavy, Padres
184 ERA+, 3.68 K/BB, 1.06 WHIP, 42.7 VORP, 12.6 Win Shares
N.L. Rookie of the Year is probably the easiest race to pick a winner at the moment as Hunter Pence is dusting the field. The question right now is if Ryan Braun got too late of the start to make a serious run but he takes the #2 spot despite having only 179 plate appearances. I went with Troy Tulowitzki over Josh Hamilton for the last spot simply due to Tulowitzki being really the only every day rookie in the N.L. since Opening Day and playing a pretty good shortstop for the Rockies.
3. Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
.286/.358/.432, 40 RC, 103 OPS+, .268 EQA, 14.3 VORP, 10.1 Win Shares
2. Ryan Braun, Brewers
.350/.391/.663, 39 RC, 173 OPS+, .341 EQA, 27.2 VORP, 10.4 Win Shares
1. Hunter Pence, Astros
.342/.367/.589, 49 RC, 146 OPS+, .313 EQA, 30.7 VORP, 11.7 Win Shares
AMERICAN LEAGUE MIDSEASON AWARDS
Hardly any change at all from 10 days ago beyond dropping Dan Haren out of the Top 10. It continues to very much be a four player race but I still think there's little chance Magglio Ordonez holds down the top spot at the end of the year but I've yet not have him at #1.
10. Orlando Cabrera, Angels
.328/.366/.444, 58 RC, 118 OPS+, .282 EQA, 29.0 VORP, 18.4 Win Shares
9. Derek Jeter, Yankees
.336/.408/.463, 71 RC, 136 OPS+, .294 EQA, 33.4 VORP, 15.5 Win Shares
8. Gary Sheffield, Tigers
.303/.410/.560, 74 RC, 155 OPS+, .320 EQA, 38.2 VORP, 15.3 Win Shares
7. David Ortiz, Red Sox
.314/.434/.556, 65 RC, 159 OPS+, .323 EQA, 38.5 VORP, 13.9 Win Shares
6. Grady Sizemore, Indians
.280/.393/.471, 72 RC, 131 OPS+, .301 EQA, 35.8 VORP, 18.6 Win Shares
5. Victor Martinez, Indians
.324/.382/.553, 68 RC, 148 OPS+, .309 EQA, 38.7 VORP, 19.9 Win Shares
4. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
.359/.410/.459, 77 RC, 137 OPS+, .311 EQA, 44.0 VORP, 21.1 Win Shares
3. Vladmir Guerrero, Angels
.325/.416/.547, 75 RC, 158 OPS+, .321 EQA, 39.6 VORP, 21.6 Win Shares
2. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
.317/.413/.665, 86 RC, 186 OPS+, .341 EQA, 54.5 VORP, 18.8 Win Shares
1. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers
.367/.446/.604, 84 RC, 177 OPS+, .346 EQA, 52.6 VORP, 20.0 Win Shares
For A.L. Cy Young Dan Haren is the easy choice for now but he's starting to comeback down to earth and in the end it will probably be once again Johan Santana's award to lose. One thing of note for both leagues with the whining by the media last year with their being no 20 game winners the writers will be falling over themselves to give the award to a 20 game winner this time around even if there are clearly better pitchers out there (C.C. Sabathia I'm looking at you).
3. Mark Buehrle, White Sox
149 ERA+, 3.18 K/BB, 1.10 WHIP, 34.7 VORP, 12.6 Win Shares
2. Johan Santana, Twins
161 ERA+, 4.17 K/BB, 1.03 WHIP, 38.0 VORP, 11.8 Win Shares
1. Dan Haren, A's
191 ERA+, 3.16 K/BB, 1.00 WHIP, 43.2 VORP, 14.1 Win Shares
Now for some CONTROVERSY~! Well not for the top spot as I think Jeremy Guthrie is clear choice for Rookie of the Year in the A.L. at the moment. But as you'll see there is no Daisuke Matsuzaka or Hideki Okajima on the list. I've said it before and I'll say it again, veteran players from Japan are not true rookies and should not be eligible for the ROY. That's just my opinion and right or wrong it isn't going to change.
3. Reggie Willits, Angels
.312/.408/.368, 40 RC, 113 OPS+, .288 EQA, 15.8 VORP, 9.8 Win Shares
2. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
.318/.400/.450, 43 RC, 124 OPS+, .287 EQA, 19.9 VORP, 11.4 Win Shares
1. Jeremy Guthrie, Orioles
159 ERA+, 4.00 K/BB, 0.91 WHIP, 32.5 VORP, 9.8 Win Shares
For the two of you who liked the TSB entries I know I said I'd get around to finishing this month but doesn't look like that'll happen. I've been doing a ridiculous amount of overtime at work lately and my time on the board is spent working on my pick 'em contest. Also after next week I'll be working on my end of the season 2007 MLB Player Rankings for the blog so the TSB is just going to have to wait.
So we're down to 23 undefeated teams in I-A/FBS/Whatever football so obviously my "only rank unbeaten teams" goes out the window. But that being said, I still say give credit to all the unbeatens at this point so I'm including them all in my Top 25. Who cares UConn hasn't played anyone and will end up 6-6, what's the harm in giving them a No Prize this early in the season?
1. LSU
2. USC
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida
5. West Virginia
6. Boston College
7. Ohio State
8. Kentucky
9. California
10. Oregon
11. Texas
12. Wisconsin
13. Clemson
14. Rutgers
15. South Florida
16. Arizona State
17. Cincinnati
18. Missouri
19. Kansas
20. Purdue
21. Michigan State
22. South Carolina
23. Georgia
24. Hawaii
25. Connecticut
Scott Brosius - Third Baseman
Oakland Athletics 1991-1997
New York Yankees 1998-2001
Awards
1998 World Series MVP
1999 AL Gold Glove - 3B
All-Star Selections: 1 (1998)
League Leader
None
Career Ranks
None of note
Hall of Fame Stats
HOF Standards: Batting - 12.6 (1349) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 19.0 (780) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Batters: Ed Sprague, Bill Melton, Mike Pagliarulo, Scott Spiezio, Tom Tresh, Jim Presley, Steve Buechele, Dave Hollins, Aaron Boone, Jim Tabor
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Leve (WARP3)
1991: 1/0.8
1992: 2/0.3
1993: 5/1.5
1994: 6/4.1
1995: 10/3.2
1996: 19/7.9
1997: 5/2.1
1998: 27/9.3
1999: 13/5.5
2000: 8/4.1
2001: 15/5.6
Career Win Shares: 111
Career WARP3: 44.3
Would he get my vote?
No. Like Witt there is really no point in having Brosius on the ballot. Unlike Witt though you can figure out why he got through the nomination process, likely due to his World Series MVP in 1998. He was an excellent defensive third baseman but even if you had a Hall of Fame based soley on fielding he'd have no shot due to only being an everyday player for six years of his career, playing in more than 150 games just once.
For those who don't remember here were my 2004 and 2005 player rankings I posted on the forums.
2004
2005
These rankings are purely based on what the player did this past season. Past performance and potential future value are not taken into account. For hitters I take into account five statiscal compotents: OPS, Value Over Replacment Player (VORP), Equivalent Average (EQA), Runs Created, and Win Shares.
Now with the regular position lists I take the top 30 players at each position in games started which means not necessarily every team will have a player on the list. But I decided to get DH's out of the way because it's the shortest list and if you looked at my A.L. MVP ballot you already see the Top 3. In 2004 I did a normal DH list but last year with a complete lack of everyday DH's outside Oritz and Hafner I did combo list of DH's and players who played a lot but didn't fit into of the position lists. But this year we had at least a few more everyday DH's and there actually wasn't that many players this year who played a lot but didn't fit into the other lists. In fact the only player that had more than 500 plate appearances but wasn't in the Top 30 in games started at any position was Jay Payton who played 40+ games at every outfield position so I'm going to throw him in the leftfielders list.
So now onto the DH list which again isn't very interesting and once you get past the Big 5 there is a big drop off with a lot part-time/injured players and a couple of guys who were released. I took only the Top 14 in games started at DH. Jason Giambi played a few more games at DH than first base so that's why he's on it. Also for each position I'll list who I had as the Top 3 in 2004 and 2005 before the 2006 rankings.
2004 Top 3 DH's
1. Travis Hafner
2. David Ortiz
3. Erubiel Durazo
2005 Top 3 DH's
1. David Ortiz
2. Travis Hafner
3. Mike Sweeney
2006 Designated Hitter Rankings
1. David Ortiz, Red Sox
2. Travis Hafner, Indians
3. Jim Thome, White Sox
4. Jason Giambi, Yankees
5. Frank Thomas, A's
6. Jay Gibbons, Orioles
7. Jonny Gomes, Devil Rays
8. Tim Salmon, Angels
9. Mike Sweeney, Royals
10. Matt Stairs, Royals/Rangers/Tigers
11. Phil Nevin, Rangers/Cubs/Twins
12. Javy Lopez, Orioles/Red Sox
13. Carl Everett, Mariners
14. Rondell White, Twins
I think White produced more for the Twins today than he did for the entire season.
2004 Top 3
1. Barry Bonds
2. Manny Ramirez
3. Adam Dunn
2005 Top 3
1. Manny Ramirez
2. Jason Bay
3. Miguel Cabrera
2006 Leftfielder Rankings
1. Manny Ramirez, Red Sox
2. Alfonso Soriano, Nationals
3. Barry Bonds, Giants
4. Jason Bay, Pirates
5. Carlos Lee, Brewers/Rangers
6. Matt Holliday, Rockies
7. Raul Ibanez, Mariners
8. Carl Crawford, Devil Rays
9. Juan Rivera, Angels
10. Adam Dunn, Reds
11. Reed Johnson, Blue Jays
12. Pat Burrell, Phillies
13. Dave Roberts, Padres
14. Josh Willingham, Marlins
15. Davd DeJesus, Royals
16. Emil Brown, Royals
17. Frank Catalanotto, Blue Jays
18. Jay Payton, A's
19. Craig Monroe, Tigers
20. Matt Murton, Cubs
21. Andre Ethier, Dodgers
22. Luis Gonzalez, Diamondbacks
23. Garret Anderson, Angels
24. Melky Cabrera, Yankees
25. Preston Wilson, Astros/Cardinals
26. Cliff Floyd, Mets
27. Ryan Langerhans, Braves
28. Jason Michaels, Indians
29. Scott Podsednik, White Sox
30. Brad Wilkerson, Rangers
Okay finally taking a break from the Award Redos...until the next entry probably. For the next Where'd The Go? I wanted to find a team that was a complete fluke. A team that had success one year with no winning seasons in the years prior and then no winning seasons in the years after which where the '89 Cubs qualify. Actually I could have also picked the '84 Cubs but decided to go with the more recent example.
Cubs history of futility is well documented and every time they have a glimmer of success it becomes big news. Before the '89 season there last winning season had been 1984 and their next winning season after would not be until 1993. In '89 the fielded the second youngest team in the National League with several key players who were rookies or second year players. Managed by future Joe Torre cabana boy Don Zimmer the Cubs went on a magical run to the N.L. East title with a 93-69 record before Will Clark pretty almost single handily dispatched them in the NLCS. Given how young they were it figured they were a nice core to lead this team to a championship down the line but they never even came close after 1989. Here's a look back as to where this team went.
C: Damon Berryhill (.257/.291/.341, 6.0 VORP, 12 Win Shares) - Just his second year Berryhill had pretty much established self as an unspectacular catcher who'd bounce around the Majors for a while and that's what he did. He had rotator cuff surgery in September of that year so he was not on the postseason roster and was filled in by rookie Joe Girardi. He'd be traded to the Braves a couple of years later where he'd be their regular catcher during the 1992 postseason. Had one year stints with the Red Sox, Reds, and Giants before calling it quits after 1997.
1B: Mark Grace (.314/.405/.457, 43.7 VORP, 25 Win Shares) - Another second year player, Grace was a rising star at this time and this would end up being one of his best years. He would lead the Majors in hits during the decade of the 90's which will probably get his some mild HOF support but really isn't one. Played withe Cubs thru 2000 before signing with the Diamondbacks where he'd pick up a World Series ring in 2001.
2B: Ryne Sandberg (.290/.356/.497, 56.8 VORP, 28 Win Shares) - I to this day have never met someone named "Ryne". Anyways he had usual good season in '89 and would finish 4th in the MVP voting. He would retire during the 1994 season but then unretire before 1996 to play two more years withe Cubs. Inducted into the HOF last year.
3B: Luis Salazar (.282/.316/.414, 13.0 VORP, 10 Win Shares) - The actual regular 3rd baseman in the regular season was Vance Law but he was just terrible so the Cubs acquired Salazar from the Padres at the waiver trade deadline. Not that he was much better than Law but he did hit surprisingly well for them the last month of the season and the NLCS. Maybe that ended up being bad for the Cubs as they hung onto him thru 1992 where he did nothing of note.
SS: Shawon Dunston (.278/.320/.403, 29.1 VORP, 18 Win Shares) - I always figured they made a mistake on Shawon's birth certificate and he just never decided to fix it. It probably wasn't even until the mid-90's that I realized how to spell his name right. Could hit for a decent average and some power for a shortstop but couldn't draw a walk to save his life and just awful defensively but stuck around for 18 years. With the Cubs thru 1995 then bounced around to the Giants, back to the Cubs, Pirates, Indians, back to the Giants, Cardinals, Mets, back to the Cardinals, and then a 3rd stint with Giants where'd he retire after 2002.
LF: Dwight Smith (.324/.382/.493, 31.5 VORP, 16 Win Shares) - Smith may have epitomized the '89 Cubs. With numbers like that in his rookie year you would have thought he was on his way to big things. Alas it didn't happen. Stuck around with the Cubs thru 1993, split time with the Angels and Orioles in 1994, and then spent two season with the Braves where in 1995 he got to pick up a World Series ring as a bench player.
CF: Jerome Walton (.293/.335/.385, 25.9 VORP, 17 Win Shares) - Remember how excited you'd be to have the rookie card of any rookie who did anything without noticing they weren't that good to begin with? That was Jerome Walton for me. He won the 1989 N.L. ROY and that was about it for him in terms of relevance. Played with the Cubs thru '92 and then bounced from the Angels, Reds, Braves, Orioles, and to the Devil Rays.
RF: Andre Dawson (.252/.307/.476, 19.3 VORP, 13 Win Shares) - By '89 the beating Dawson's knees to playing all those years on the Olympic Stadium turf started to catch up to him. He did rebound the following year for one more good year. With the Cubs thru 1992 and had two year stints with the Red Sox and Marlins before retiring after 1996.
Pitchers
Greg Maddux (128 ERA+, 35.4 VORP, 20 Win Shares) - Hey who's this guy? Only 23 years old at the time Maddux had already broken out with a strong year in 1988 and finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting in 1989. He'd post a 2.18 ERA in 1992 and as Cubs fans painfully know he'd sign a big money free agent contract after that season with the Braves where he'd become one of the greatest pitchers of all-time. Of course returned to the Cubs in 2004 where he is still active.
Rick Sutcliffe (103 ERA+, 22.5 VORP, 14 Win Shares) - . This was Sutcliffe's last decent season as injury limited him to 23 starts the next two years. Would pitch two years with the Orioles and then a brief stint with the Cardinals in 1994 before retiring.
Mike Bielecki (121 ERA+, 29.7 VORP, 16 Win Shares) - By far Bielecki's best season and part of the fluky nature of the '89 season and his long term future was in the bullpen. Traded with the Berryhill to the Braves after 1991, he'd three different trips to Atlanta with one year stints with the Angels and Indians mixed in.
Paul Kilgus (86 ERA+, -14.1 VORP, 3 Win Shares) - With those numbers you can tell Kilgus wasn't Major League material. Was acquired in the Mitch Williams/Rafael Palmeiro trade before the season this would be his last season as a regular starter. Had cups of coffee with the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Cardinals.
Scott Sanderson (96 ERA+, 7.1 VORP, 7 Win Shares) - Marginally effective pitcher that would play 19 years and who'd luck into signing with the defending World Champion A's after '89. Then went to the Yankees in 1991 where he'd have a good year then hung around the Majors thru 1996 primarily with the Angels.
Closer: Mitch Williams (137 ERA+, 13.2 VORP, 12 Win Shares) - What can be said about this guy that hasn't been already? It's amazing he had any sucess at all with his lack of command. Achieved a bit of a cult status in 1989 due to his wild delivery. Dealt to the Phillies after 1990 where you know what happened in 1993. Then traded to the Astros after that year where he'd never be the same.
A little story about Williams, he had a very brief stint with the Royals in 1997 where I saw him pitch one of his last games ever live against the A's on April 25, 1997. He was out of the Majors in 1996 but some how made the Royals out of Spring Training. The Royals were crushing the A's 10-3 and there were probably only about 3,000 people left in the park by the time Wild Thing came in for mop up duty in the 9th. We gave him a mocking standing ovation when he came out figuring he'd probably make the inning exciting. He'd walk Matt Stairs on four pitches to start the inning and went 3-0 to Scott Speizo and the little of us there were going nuts. He'd then recover to strike out Speizo and strike out the side of Scott Brosius and Tony Batista. Ya that was a bad omen for the '97 A's.
MAC
Conference bids: Motor City, GMAC or MPC Computers, International
Locked up a bid: None
Near locks: Ohio
On the bubble: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan
The MAC is very hard to figure out when it comes to bowl bids because outside of the MAC title game winner, no one is guarenteed a bowl. In the past the loser of the MAC title game has often been passed up for the MAC's other bowl bid. This year they now have three bids so I would figure that both division winners will go to bowl games but I don't know that for sure. Now the reason why I picked Ohio as the one near lock is they are a good bet to run the table through the rest of the regular season with Miami U. and Eastern Michigan (2-15 combined) still on the schedule and Akron at home as being the only potential stumbling block. Considering they haven't been to a bowl game since 1968 I figure even if they lose the title game, at 9 wins they'll get one of the other two bids. If Kent State hadn't lost to Ohio at home last week they would all but locked up the East division but they probably are the next best bet to get a bowl bid. The winner of the CMU/WMU game on November 10th will likely decide the West division champ. The Garrett Wolfe factor makes NIU an attractive team but at 5-4 and still with CMU on the schedule I don't think a 7-5 record will get the job done although they could get an at large bid. Akron, Ball State, and Bowling Green are all likely done but are still mathematically alive in their division.
Mountain West
Conference bids: Las Vegas, Armed Forces, Poinsettia, New Mexico
Locked up a bid: BYU
Near locks: TCU
On the bubble: Air Force, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming
Now with non-BCS conference teams getting in with a 6-6 record will be a dicey proposition but the odds that BYU will collapse and lose four in a row is just about zilch. TCU still has five games left to get to seven wins and they very likely will get to 9 or 10 wins. Utah should get to that all important seven wins although an upset at Air Force could be possible and they'd be in trouble trying to get win #7 against BYU. For a very obvious reason New Mexico has the best shot at getting in at 6-6 if no more than three teams in the conference finish with a winning record, which is very possible. Wyoming has San Diego State and UNLV left but a trip to BYU will doom their bowl chances. Air Force has a must win this week against Army to have any hope at a bowl as they still have Notre Dame, Utah, and TCU still on the schedule. Colorado State has BYU, Utah, and TCU the next three weeks so they're toast.
Pac-10
Conference bids: Rose/BCS, Holiday, Sun, Las Vegas, Emerald, Hawaii
Locked up a bid: California, Oregon, USC, Washington State
Near locks: None
On the bubble: Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, UCLA, Washington
Now how could I list Oregon State on the bubble after beating USC? It's pretty easy. For one before this past weekend they were probably considered the 8th best team in the confernece. Second because of a trip to Hawaii they have a 13 game schedule so that means still need two more wins to go bowling. They have one guarenteed win against Stanford but none besides that. Beat ASU this week and then they are a lock but have a letdown and it could get interesting but I'd say they are very good bet to pick up the two wins. If ASU wins Saturday then they lock up a bid but then they get Wazzu and UCLA at home before their rivalry game against U of A. UCLA has a very tough schedule left with road dates to Berkely and Tempe left, then of course USC. They have to beat the Beavers at home on November 11th to have a prayer. Washington has Stanford still left but appears done without Isaiah Stanback and they'll need to upset Oregon or Wazzu on the road to get in. U of A is listed simply because they are technically still alive.
SEC
Conference bids: Sugar/BCS, Capital One, Cotton, Outback, Chick-Fil-A (double ugh), Music City, Liberty, Independence
Locked up a bid: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee
Near locks: South Carolina
On the bubble: Kentucky, Vanderbilt
You know I admit the SEC in terms of overall consistency of putting a large number of teams in the Top 25 every year, they are the best conference and I admit their fans travel better than any conference. But god damn it's almost unfair how they get so many of top non-BCS bowls. Anyways the Gamecocks have Middle Tennessee left on their scheduled so they will get win #6 but that might be it for them especially if they don't beat Arkansas this week. Kentucky has a better shot than one would think but they still have UL Monroe and they get Vandy at home. Beat Vandy and they'll be bowling although might have to get an at large bid. Vanderbilt on the other hand has to beat Kentucky and then pull off an upset of Florida or Tennessee. Just a hunch the Vols will be looking to put a beating on them for last year's upset that cost them a bowl game.
Sun Belt
Conference bids: New Orleans
Locked up a bid: None
Near locks: None
On the bubble: Arkanas State, Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee, Troy, UL Lafayette
Awww my favorite conference. It's simple win the conference, you go to New Orleans. By pure luck a couple of years ago they got two teams into bowls but don't expect that to happen even with a record 62 bids now. Everyone listed is still alive in the title race but it likely will come down to the MTSU/Troy game on November 25th as to who gets the bid.
WAC
Conference bids: BCS?, MPC Computers or GMAC, Hawaii, New Mexico
Locked up a bid: Boise State
Near locks: Hawaii, Nevada
On the bubble: Idaho, San Jose State
Obviously a lot is riding on Boise State getting into the BCS as it will give the conference four bids if they do. Hawaii should lock up a bid this week against Utah State and we know what bowl they are going to. There is a scenerio where Nevada could get left out if they get upset by Idaho and somehow San Jose State upsets Boise thus killing the chance of four bids but it's a longshot. Now who would have thought San Jose State would be in a good position to get a bowl bid while Fresno State would already be dead at the end of October? It's a shame for the Spartans that the Silicon Valley Bowl doesn't still exsist. Their most important game left is a trip to Idaho on November 25th which could decide the final bid. If BSU gets upset by Nevada though then they are both screwed.
Independents
Conditional bids: BCS/Cotton/Gator/Sun/Houston/All Other Big East bids (Notre Dame), Car Care (Navy), Poinsettia (Army)
Locked up a bid: Notre Dame
Near locks: Navy
On the bubble: Army
Navy and Army are pretty much like BCS conference teams in that if they get to 6-6 they are going bowling. Navy has Duke, Eastern Michigan, and Temple before the Army game so just a hunch they'll pick up at least one more win. Now what will be interesting is their conditional bid with the Car Care Bowl because that could be where Rutgers would go and it might cause some CONTROVERSY~ if the they would pass on a 9-2 Scarlet Knights team to take Navy but that is likely what will happen. Army has to run the table which includes winning at Notre Dame so the Poinsettia Bowl will be looking elsewhere for an at large team.
Next Thursday and Friday will be what I consider the best two days of the year in sports. There is simply nothing more fun from a viewing standpoint than the 1st round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. 16 games both days with basketall all day long on CBS. You know you won't get through the day without seeing something exciting. I had originally scheduled both days off from work but someone in my department was let go last week and I do the work of two people as it is I might be going in Thursday so we don't fall behind. But for at least a day and a half I'll just be gorging myself on college basketball.
My favorite tournament by far was the 1998 tournament, simply because Stanford had ended a 56 year drought and reached the Final Four. After being a perennial doormat on the west coast for a number of years, Mike Montgomery had legitimized the program. After 1st round losses in 1989 and 1992, in 1995 Stanford picked up their first tournament win since the 1942 National Championship. Next year they'd nearly upset Marcus Camby and UMass in the 2nd round. In '97 they would end Tim Duncan's college career by beating Wake Forest in the 2nd round before losing in overtime to Keith Van Horn and Utah in the Sweet 16.
For the '97-98 season they would return with much of same team at the core but with one big loss in All-American point guard Brevin Knight. Junior Arthur Lee would take over the point with the rest of the line up being Kris Weems, Pete Sauer, Mark Madsen, and Tim Young. One of their last games of the regular season was a 32 point humiliation by Arizona. Although just their fourth loss of the season many doubted Stanford would last in the tournament. I can still remember after they were given a #3 seed, Digger Phelps whined about them getting such a high seed on ESPN's selection show and it was the only team he thought was seeded too high.
Some people's doubts seemed warranted after they had a surprisingly tough game from the College of Charleston in the first round. After that they though they would blow out Western Michigan in the 2nd round and then just beat the shit out of Purdue in the Sweet 16. Now the Purdue game wasn't a blow out but the Boilermakers were expected to out physical Stanford with well publicized inside duo of Brad Miller and Brian Cardinal. But led by Mark Madsen and freshman Jarron Collins they just punished the Purdue duo the entire game. Then came the regional final against upstart Rhode Island led by their backcourt of Cuttino Mobley and Tyson Wheeler. As the #8 seed they had upset #1 seed Kansas in the 2nd round and then eliminated the feel good team of the tournament Valparaiso. I fully expected Stanford to beat them but by the end of the game was just a wreck as URI controlled most of the game. Then came one of the great individual performances in the final minute of a game.
Mobely hit two free throws with 59.3 seconds left to put URI up 71-65. Arthur Lee then took over the game.
-Lee hits an off balance three pointer with 52 seconds left, 71-68 URI
-Stanford fouls with 49.8 seconds left, Mobely hits one out of two free throws, 72-68 URI
-Lee feeds Mark Madsen inside for two with 40.7 seconds left, 72-70 URI
-Stanford fouls with 38.8 seconds left, Preston Murphy hits two free throws, 74-70 URI
-Lee drives the length of court, scores and is fouled with 32 seconds left, hits the free throw (didn't miss the entire tournament), 74-73 URI
-Lee strips Mobely after the inbound, the ball gets knocked to Madsen, he dunks and is fouled with 26.2 seconds left, hits the free throw, 76-74 Stanford. I've watched that play on tape probably a few hundred times and I'll never get tired of it.
URI would unrravel after that, turning the ball over the next posession, then Tyson Wheeler would miss three free throws, Lee would hit two more free throws, a URI half court shot at the buzzer would end the score at 79-77 Stanford. Lee scored 10 points and had the key steal of the game in the final minute. Stanford advanced to play Kentucky in the Final Four. Everyone, and I mean everyone, pretty much was preparing for a Kentucky/North Carolina final as Stanford and Utah were after thoughts. The Cardinal would lose to Kentucky in a forgotten classic 86-85 in overtime. I think it gets forgotten as one of the great tournament games because it didn't have that dramatic finish or an upset that other great games get remembered for. It was just a incredibly well played game by both teams and Dean Smith after the game on CBS said it was the best game he'd ever seen. I remember not even being upset after they lost as they weren't expected to give Kentucky any sort of a challenge and they played so well that I couldn't be mad that they came up short. It's the one game where a favorite team of mine lost that I would still watch on tape years later.
1998 Tournament Results
March 12, 1998
East Region
#1 North Carolina 88, #16 Navy 52
#8 Charlotte 77, #9 Illinois-Chicago 59
#4 Michigan State 83, #13 Eastern Michigan 71
#5 Princeton 69, #12 UNLV 57
#14 Richmond 62, #3 South Carolina 61
#11 Washington 69, #6 Xavier 68
#2 Connecticut93, #15 Farleigh Dickenson 85
#7 Indiana 94, #10 Oklahoma 87 OT
West Region
#1 Arizona 99, #16 Nicholls State 60
#9 Illinois State 82, #8 Tennessee 81 OT
#4 Maryland 82, #13 Utah State 68
#5 Illinois 64, #12 South Alabama 51
#3 Utah 85, #14 San Francisco 68
#6 Arkansas 74, #11 Nebraska 65
#2 Cincinnati 65, #15 Northern Arizona 62
#10 West Virginia 82, #7 Temple 52
March 13, 1998
Midwest Region
#1 Kansas 110, #16 Prairie View 52
#8 Rhode Island 97, #9 Murray State 74
#13 Valparaiso 70, #4 Mississippi 69
#12 Florida State 96, #5 TCU 87
#3 Stanford 67, #14 Charleston 57
#11 Western Michigan 75, #6 Clemson 72
#2 Purdue 95, #15 Delaware 56
#10 Detroit 66, #7 St. John's 64
South Region
#1 Duke 99, #16 Radford 63
#8 Oklahoma State 74, #9 George Washington 59
#4 New Mexico 79, #13 Butler 62
#5 Syracuse 63, #12 Iona 61
#3 Michigan 80, #14 Davidson 61
#6 UCLA 65, #11 Miami 62
#2 Kentucky 82, #15 South Carolina State 67
#10 Saint Louis 51, #7 UMass 46
March 14, 1998
East Region
#1 North Carolina 93, #8 Charlotte 83 OT
#4 Michigan State 63, #5 Princeton 56
#11 Washington 87, #14 Richmond 66
#2 Connecticut 78, #7 Indiana 68
Midwest Region
#1 Arizona 82, #9 Illinois State 49
#4 Maryland 67, #5 Illinois 61
#3 Utah 75, #6 Arkansas 69
#10 West Virginia 75, #2 Cincinnati 74
March 15, 1998
Midwest Region
#8 Rhode Island 80, #1 Kansas 75
#13 Valparaiso 83, #12 Florida State 77 OT
#3 Stanford 83, #11 Western Michigan 65
#2 Purdue 80, #10 Detroit 65
South Region
#1 Duke 79, #8 Oklahoma State 73
#5 Syracuse 56, #4 New Mexico 46
#6 UCLA 85, #3 Michigan 82
#2 Kentucky 88, #10 Saint Louis 61
March 19, 1998
East Region
#1 North Carolina 73, #4 Michigan State 58
#2 Connecticut 75, #11 Washington 74
West Region
#1 Arizona 87, #4 Maryland 79
#3 Utah 65, #10 West Virginia 62
March 20, 1998
Midwest Region
#8 Rhode Island 74, #13 Valparaiso 68
#3 Stanford 67, #2 Purdue 59
South Region
#1 Duke 80, #5 Syracuse 67
#2 Kentucky 94, #6 UCLA 68
March 21, 1998
East Region
#1 North Carolina 75, #2 Connecticut 64
West Region
#3 Utah 76, #1 Arizona 51
March 22, 1998
Midwest Region
#3 Stanford 79, #8 Rhode Island 77
South Region
#2 Kentucky 86, #1 Duke 84
March 28, 1998
Final Four
Kentucky 86, Stanford 85 OT
Utah 65, North Carolina 59
National Championship
Kentucky 78, Utah 69
Now moving on to pitchers, starting with the middle men. Now the previous two years I took the top 60 in relief apperances, not counting closers, to put the list together. This time around though I took the top 60 in that most meaningless of stats, Holds. But as worthless as it is at least helps identify who managers trusted to use when their team had a lead since the majority of managers have a phobia when it comes to using their best relievers when they are trailing or tied.
Now for middle relievers I will take into account these statistics: Component ERA (ERC), K/BB Ratio, WHIP, VORP, Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), and Pitching Runs Created (PRC). I don't use Win Shares when it comes to middle men because the majority of them don't get very many of them. I also don't use ERA+ for middle relievers or closers as I feel a relievers ERA can be very deceiving with the smaller sample size and the specialization of their use.
2004 Top 5
1. Tom Gordon
2. Francisco Rodriguez
3. B.J. Ryan
4. Akinori Otsuka
5. Juan Rincon
2005 Top 5
1. Justin Duchscherer
2. Scott Linebrink
3. Dan Wheeler
4. Al Reyes
5. Bob Howry
2006 Middle Reliever Rankings
1. Cla Meredith, Padres
2. Scot Shields, Angels
3. Dennys Reyes, Twins
4. Joel Zumaya, Tigers
5. Dan Wheeler, Astros
6. Rafael Soriano, Mariners
7. Scott Proctor, Yankees
8. Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers
9. Adam Wainwright, Cardinals
10. Bob Howry, Cubs
11. Justin Duchscherer, A's
12. Geoff Geary, Phillies
13. Aaron Heilman, Mets
14. Juan Rincon, Twins
15. Jon Rauch, Nationals
16. Scott Linebrink, Padres
17. Chad Qualls, Astros
18. Kiko Calero, A's
19. Trever Miller, Astros
20. Luis Vizcaino, Diamondbacks
21. Matt Capps, Pirates
22. Salomon Torres, Pirates
23. Braden Looper, Cardinals
24. Duaner Sanchez, Mets
25. Todd Coffey, Reds
26. Matt Thornton, White Sox
27. Alan Embree, Padres
28. Justin Speier, Blue Jays
29. Rheal Cormier, Phillies/Reds
30. Francisco Rodney, Tigers
31. Joel Peralta, Royals
32. Brandon Lyon, Diamondbacks
33. Scott Eyre, Cubs
34. Mike Stanton, Nationals/Giants
35. Joe Kennedy, A's
36. Kyle Farnsworth, Yankees
37. Elmer Dessens, Royals/Dodgers
38. Jose Mesa, Rockies
39. Scott Schoeneweis, Blue Jays/Reds
40. Taylor Tankersley, Marlins
41. Jose Capellan, Brewers
42. Keith Foulke, Red Sox
43. Damaso Marte, Pirates
44. George Sherrill, Mariners
45. Roberto Hernandez, Pirates/Mets
46. Danys Baez, Dodgers/Braves
47. LaTroy Hawkins, Orioles
48. Mike Timlin, Red Sox
49. Shawn Camp, Devil Rays
50. Manny Delcarmen, Red Sox
51. Mike Myers, Yankees
52. Steve Kline, Giants
53. Logan Kensing, Marlins
54. Brian Shouse, Rangers/Brewers
55. Matt Wise, Brewers
56. Arthur Rhodes, Phillies
57. Neal Cotts, White Sox
58. Randy Flores, Cardinals
59. Todd Williams, Orioles
60. Ray King, Rockies
It's safe to say that the N.L. MVP race this year may end up being as wide open as the A.L. MVP race was most of last season. After never having a different #1 last season, I now place a 3rd different player at the top spot for this entry. I really didn't see it coming but the new #1 was the slam dunk choice this time around although I'm not sure if the media has noticed yet. For the rest of the list, Brad Penny rockets into the Top 5 and we'll see if he'll avoid a second straight, second half burnout. The previous #1 Prince Fielder is starting to level off which had to be expected but I think he'll keep himself in the Top 10 during the year. And my wire-to-wire MVP from last year Albert Pujols makes his first appearance in the Top 10 this season although he's still quite up to his usual level of greatness. Fantasy tip: If you have Edgar Renteria in your league sell now!
10. Edgar Renteria, Braves
.328/.386/.502, 55 RC, 137 OPS+, .311 EQA, 30.9 VORP, 13.8 Win Shares
9. Albert Pujols, Cardinals
.298/.401/.527, 54 RC, 147 OPS+, .318 EQA, 24.3 VORP, 15.1 Win Shares
8. Russell Martin, Dodgers
.299/.365/.480, 51 RC, 121 OPS+, .294 EQA, 25.7 VOPR, 14.9 Win Shares
7. Eric Byrnes, Diamondbacks
.315/.368/.514, 54 RC, 125 OPS+, .294 EQA, 25.8 VORP, 16.3 Win Shares
6. Barry Bonds, Giants
.294/.504/.578, 55 RC, 187 OPS+, .373 EQA, 35.4 VORP, 13.2 Win Shares
5. Prince Fielder, Brewers
.282/.372/.622, 59 RC, 158 OPS+, .320 EQA, 31.2 VORP, 14.1 Win Shares
4. Brad Penny, Dodgers
213 ERA+, 2.50 K/BB, 1.13 WHIP, 41.6 VORP, 14.7 Win Shares
3. Jose Reyes, Mets
.314/.395/.447, 60 RC, 129 OPS+, .299 EQA, 32.5 VORP, 15.9 Win Shares
2. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins
.326/.392/.594, 64 RC, 163 OPS+, .330 EQA, 37.1 VORP, 15.5 Win Shares
1. Chase Utley, Phillies
.331/.413/.586, 62 RC, 159 OPS+, .331 EQA, 41.2 VORP, 17 Win Shares
It was about this time I thought Magglio Ordonez's shocking ressurection would be coming to an end but he's still holding the top spot over some very stiff competition. Ichiro's contract year goodness continues as he's seemingly on his way the best year of Major League career and if the Mariners continue to not suck a second writer's MVP could very well be in his future along with a $20 million/year contract. Alex Rodriguez continues to hold strong even if the Yankees are holding him back.
10. Orlando Cabrera, Angels
.334/.372/.446, 51 RC, 120 OPS+, .285 EQA, 28.6 VORP, 16 Win Shares
9. Derek Jeter, Yankees
.343/.418/.483, 66 RC, 143 OPS+, .300 EQA, 32.5 VORP, 14.8 Win Shares
8. David Ortiz, Red Sox
.319/.433/.573, 59 RC, 162 OPS+, .322 EQA, 35.0 VORP, 13.5 Win Shares
7. Grady Sizemore, Indians
.281/.395/.471, 63 RC, 131 OPS+, .302 EQA, 33.6 VORP, 16 Win Shares
6. Victor Martinez, Indians
.318/.379/.536, 60 RC, 142 OPS+, .304 EQA, 31.9 VORP, 16.7 Win Shares
5. Dan Haren, A's
224 ERA+, 3.21 K/BB, 0.94 WHIP, 44.6 VORP, 13.9 Win Shares
4. Vladimir Guerrero, Angels
.330/.424/.565, 67 RC, 165 OPS+, .325 EQA, 39.2 VORP, 18.6 Win Shares
3. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
.331/.429/.694, 79 RC, 198 OPS+, .350 EQA, 54.9 VORP, 17.4 Win Shares
2. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
.364/.419/.466, 72 RC, 141 OPS+, .316 EQA, 42.9 VORP, 20.2 Win Shares
1. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers
.377/.453/.634, 80 RC, 185 OPS+, .352 EQA, 52.8 VORP, 19.2 Win Shares
As I mentioned last week in my bowls entry I wasn't going to be doing any projections as there is still way too many games left to make any solid projections that go beyond guess work. If you want to try to predict how the ACC will shake out the rest of the way, be my guest. But I need content and even though I hate the current state of the bowl system, I love looking at potential match-ups. So in this entry I'm going to do what I've done a few times in the past in the College Football threads and jumble together bowl projections from various sites to give you an idea of where your favorite or hated team might be playing a meaningless game in late December. I'll take projections from ESPN.com, CFN.com, CBS Sportsline, CollegeBCS.com, and SI.com and throw little comments that will provide little to no insight.
December 19th - Poinsettia Bowl (Mountain West #3 vs. at-large)
Utah/Air Force/Wyoming vs. Kansas/Northern Illinois/UCLA/Ohio
Army had a conditional bid here but their incredibly slim bowl chances went up in smoke when they get blown by Air Force so it's anyones guess as to who gets the at-large bid but will likely go to a 6-6 BCS conference team or someone from the MAC.
December 21st - Las Vegas Bowl (Mountain West #1 vs. Pac-10 #4)
BYU vs. Oregon State/Washington State/Oregon
I should have corrected bravesfan, or whatever his name is now, in the College Football thread as he was under the impression that the Hawaii is the Pac-10's #4 choice but it's actually their last one. In any event BYU will lock up the Mountain West this week with a win over Wyoming and the greatest a trip a Mormon can have, Las Vegas. I'd say most likely the loser of the Civil War ends up here as the opponent.
December 22nd - New Orleans Bowl (Sun Belt #1 vs. Conference USA #5)
Middle Tennesse/Troy vs. UTEP/SMU/Rice
Obviously God caused Hurricane Katrina to prevent New Oreleans from being subjected to another Sun Belt bowl game but it's back this year. At least the Sun Belt will manage to end up with more than one winning team this year. MTSU hosts Troy on November 25th and that will decide the conference and I'm soooooo tempted to break my no Sun Belt games rule in my pick 'em contest for that game. UTEP was the popular choice here but I'm pulling for SMU as they have an outside shot at their first bowl game since the death penalty.
December 23rd - Birmingham Bowl Bowl (Conference USA #3 vs. Big East #5/6)
Southern Miss vs. South Florida/Pittsburgh
Now raise your hand if you actually knew there was something called the Birmingham Bowl this year? The projections were unanimous for Southern Miss and only one picked Pittsburgh instead of USF.
December 23rd - New Mexico Bowl (WAC #3 vs. Mountain West #4)
Nevada/San Jose State vs. New Mexico
Okay now raise your hand if you actually knew there was something called the New Mexico Bowl this year? See this is the problem with a lot of these little bowls as they can only hope to get a decent crowd if the home team becomes bowl eligible and then really is it even a bowl game at that point or just a glorified home game? New Mexico will have to sweat a little for a bowl eligiblity as they play BYU and TCU next but finish the season at home against awful San Diego State. Now the WAC projections are split down the middle which is odd because I'd think Nevada would definately take Boise State's spot in the MPC Computers Bowl but half of them think San Jose State will but I'm not going to lose sleep over it.
December 23rd - Armed Forces Bowl (Mountain West #2 vs. Conference USA #4)
TCU vs. Tulsa/UTEP/SMU/East Carolina
This is actually not a new bowl but the bowl formerly known as the Fort Worth Bowl and I know you are all appalled that such a historic bowl would go corporate, sort of. Oddly enough Navy and Army didn't have any sort of conditional bid here. TCU is the unanimous choice since it played on their homefield and have in the past rejected other invites just to stay home although this year they get their by default. Projections have no clue who goes from Conference USA here.
December 24th - Hawaii Bowl (WAC #2 vs. Pac-10 #6)
Hawaii vs. Arizona State/Washington State
Again this week's big story was the shocking news that Hawaii accepted an invite to the Hawaii Bowl. All but one of the projections had ASU going here.
December 26th - Motor City Bowl (MAC #1 vs. Big Ten #7)
Central Michigan/Ohio/Western Michigan vs. Cincinnati/Iowa/Middle Tennessee
CMU has emerged as this week's favorite to win the MAC but that conference has been impossible to figure out this year. Now with it almost a lock that Ohio State and Michigan will give the Big Ten BCS bids there's a very good chance the Big Ten won't fill their last bid and Cincinnati for geographic reasons, and because the Big East is losing a bid which I'll get to, was the popular choice. CollegeBCS.com was the one who picked MTSU and I don't know what they are thinking there.
December 27th - Emerald Bowl (Pac-10 #5 vs. ACC #7)
Washington State/Oregon/Arizona State vs. Florida State/Boston College/Maryland
It's still incredibly stupid to have a bowl game in an area as indifferent towards college sports as the Bay Area but at least they have the Pac-10 on board now so Stanford will have a bowl game to go to if they ever become bowl eligible again this decade. FSU is the odds on favorite to go here and watching them travel across the country for a game they won't give a shit about will be fun.
December 28th - Independence Bowl (Big XII #7 vs. SEC #8)
Oklahoma State/Kansas State/Texas Tech vs. Alabama/Georgia/South Carolina/Kentucky
The Big XII bowl picture is fairly unsettled so tough to guess here. One of the dissapointing 6-6 SEC teams will end up here.
December 28th - Texas Bowl (Big East #3/#4 vs. Big XII #8)
Rutgers vs. Kansas State/Oklahoma State
This is technically a new bowl game but it was the replacement for the Houston Bowl that went belly up but is being played in...Houston. Confused? Anyways that is correct what you read, Rutgers even with probably a 10-2 record will end up in a nothing bowl game against 6-6 Big XII team. Basically no bowls wanted the Big East after the purge a couple of years ago, which in hindsight hasn't hurt the conference at all, and this is the result of it.
December 28th - Holiday Bowl (Pac-10 #2 vs. Big XII #3)
USC/California vs. Texas A&M/Missouri/Nebraska
Holiday Bowl has really emerged as one of the biggest non-BCS bowls in recent years and it should be no different this year. But man fuck all these projections as only one has USC getting to the Rose Bowl which means most think Cal will win their match-up. USC likely killed their BCS at-large chances with the loss to Oregon State although there is a slim chance that they could get in if a lot of things break their way, one being Boise State failing to get into the BCS. Obviously if USC ends up here, Nebraksa wouldn't be the selection from the Big XII.
December 29th - Music City Bowl (ACC #5 vs. SEC #6)
Wake Forest/Virginia Tech/Boston College/Maryland/Miami vs. South Carolina/Kentucky/Alabama
Again the ACC is impossible to figure out who is going where right now as Wake Forest was the only team that showed up on two of the projections although I'd say Miami is a longshot here.
December 29th - Sun Bowl (Pac-10 #3 vs. Big XII #5/Big East #2)
Oregon/Oregon State/Washington State vs. Missouri/West Virginia
Yup the complete lack of wanting the Big East strikes again. The Gator Bowl has a deal this year where they can pick a Big XII team over the second place Big East team. Big XII fans travel very well so don't be shocked if an 11-1 Big East team gets passed over and sent to El Paso, especially if the Gator Bowl has a shot at getting Nebraska who's fans can almost sell out bowl games on their own. The Civil War winner likely goes here from the Pac-10.
December 29th - Liberty Bowl (Conference USA #1 vs. SEC #7)
Houston/Tulsa vs. Kentucky/Alabama
Houston's mild upset of Tulsa this week makes them the run away favorite now to win Conference USA.
December 29th - Champs Sports Bowl (ACC #4 vs. Big Ten #5)
Boston College/Virginia Tech/Maryland/Florida State vs. Iowa/Minnesota
No bowl game that gets BCS conference teams every year produces more lackluster games than the Champs Sports Bowl and this year should be no different. CFN.com is the one that picked Minnesota so obviously Vern has been bribing them.
December 29th - Insight Bowl (Big XII #6 vs. Big Ten #6)
Texas Tech/Oklahoma State vs. Indiana/Wyoming/Central Michigan/Utah
Again because both Ohio State and Michigan are going to be the BCS and because the Big Ten is incredibly mediocre once you get past the top three teams, this bid might not be filled by their conference. Texas Tech was the almost unanimous pick here for the Big XII. I'm still trying to figure out why the Insight parted ways with the Pac-10 when it's natural fit for the Arizona schools.
That's enough for tonight, cover the rest tommorrow.
