HarleyQuinn

The thing that strikes me about Roy is that he started in the mid 1980's and was putting up GAA around 2.50 during that era, insane numbers to say the least. When he was playing alongside Brodeur, he was getting even better. From 1997 through 2001 he decreased his GAA from 2.39 to 2.29, 2.28, 2.21, and a league leading 1.94! He then followed that up with a 2.18 in 2002. Roy was generally facing over 1630 shots a season during that time. From 1997 to 2002, Brodeur was putting up similar GAA numbers while facing far fewer shots (regularly around 1500-1550 during that time). Roy also had a better save %, often getting around .915 while Brodeur was around .905. Brodeur for his career has faced 22.9 SPG. Roy for his career faced 27.6 SPG. The playoffs are a closer call but Brodeur never put up GAA of 1.92 (1985 Roy) or 2.09 (1988 Roy) in peak scoring eras either. I'd put Roy ahead of Brodeur although Brodeur would still be in the Top 5.

C Mickey Cochrane Short career but at his peak he was capable of a .330/.425/.510 line with 15 HR. Also quite solid defensively.

Interesting article on the butterfly style and the effect it has on the hips: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writ...ex.html?eref=T1

1B Cap Anson - 3418 Hits, .333 BA, 21 HR in 1884

"Shoeless" Joe Jackson

That Denver O-Line last season only allowed 11 sacks (regardless of Cutler behind them) and were 3rd in rushing YPC... definitely not bad given the stable that ran through them. Marshall can be a Moss-like threat (1,200 yards receiving and 100+ catches last year) and Royal was pretty much a Welker clone with 980 yards and a 10.8 YPC. Jabar Gaffney can fill that #3 or #4 role as he did in New England with no problem at all. In honesty, I think Denver really does have the pieces to implement the offense rather well and McDaniels is used to a RBBC from New England so he'll find the best 3-4 running backs and utilize them in specialized roles to maximize them.

Easy... the system that McDaniels is bringing with him. Cassel had at least two years to learn the system (backup in 2007) and had a year playing under it where he was quickly getting the hang of it during the second half of the season. With Cutler, there's a question of transition/understanding the system and then being able to put it into practice. Look at Brett Favre's struggles trying to adjust to what Eric Mangini wanted to do offensively (i.e. protect the football, limit the mistakes, make smart decisions rather than just heave it to nowhere) and it arguably helped cost Mangini his job. Also Cutler threw 616 times last year (in part due to RB issues) and it's highly doubtful he would be asked to do the same so one has to wonder if Cutler can make smart decisions and in the offense that McDaniels runs, that's critical in sustaining drives. I think people are overrating Cutler due to the struggles around him and underrating Cassel due to the horrible first half he had. In the 2nd half, Cassel threw 14 TD vs. 4 INT in only 7 games. Pro rate that to 16 and you get 32 TD vs. 9 INT... damn good numbers.

Ah, sorry didn't see it. I agree that Wulff made them a contendor but this could potentially hurt them long term if other issues arise over the next three years that force another penalty. I think letting ineligible players practice is the biggest issue and think having too many assistant coaches isn't a bad thing at all. The recruiting limits could be more damaging than the lack of a playoff berth and two future players lose their scholarships unfortunately (which is huge now given the economy).

Big news concerning Eastern Washington... http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=s...aspx?id=4211197

I'm more surprised at Cutler's reaction... But he's coming off as extremely insecure and whiny about all of this. Players get put up for trade talks but you don't hear them whining to the media about it. Yeah, he was supposedly to be put up for trade talks but he has a chance to work under a guy who helped set up an offense that had Tom Brady throw for 50 TD passes and take a Matt Cassell who hadn't started since high school and he threw for 21 TD and almost 3,700 yards anyway. Cutler had a 2.9 INT% (18) and 4.1 TD% (25) in 616 attempts. Cassel, for all his sacks, had a 2.1% INT rate (11) and a 4.1 TD% (21, same as Cutler) in only 516 attempts. Both were able to make plays with their legs to the tune of around a 3.6 YPC and 200+ yards rushing. Pro rate Cassel out to 616 attempts and he has a line of 4409 yards, 25 TD, and 13 INT along with 56 sacks. Remind you of anybody (ignoring the sacks)? Also the Broncos have been quietly adding pieces on defense: LB Andra Davis, CB Andre Goodman, S Brian Dawkins, and S Renaldo Hill. Last year, Goodman/Dawkins/Hill combined for 9 INT. The Broncos as a team had 6! Not to mention the depth at RB (JJ Arrington, LaMont Jordan, Correll Buckhalter) and WR (Jabar Gaffney). Bringing in two guys familiar with his system can only help transition wise.

Shot you a trade offer.

Here's how Dollhouse has done week to week according to James Hibberd. First number is the overnight in terms of million viewers. Second number is the 18-49 bracket rating. Episode 1: 4.7 and a 2.06 Episode 2: 4.2 and a 1.70 Episode 3: 4.1 and a 1.60 Episode 4: 3.6 and a 1.50 Episode 5: 4.3 and a 1.60 Here's how Firefly's first 5 episodes did in terms of overnight ratings... TV Ratings for Firefly Episode 1: 4.9 Episode 2: 4.3 Episode 3: 3.9 Episode 4: 3.4 Episode 5: 3.2 ----------------------- Episode 6: 3.3 Episode 7: 3.1 Episode 8: 3.0 Episode 9: 3.1 Episode 10: 2.8 Episode 11: 2.9

This was there and like Jingus, I enjoyed the "boner" scene the most. I'm more intrigued by the relationships being set up (Sierra/Victor as a possible budding romance, the blond guy going against the lead woman and targeting Echo as a result, the cop getting closer and closer to Echo, and Boyd in general is great) but I'm still finding the main Echo plots boring and uninteresting because Eliza really isn't suited for a lead role. She's great in spurts (see Faith or even as Missy in Bring It On) but just doesn't have the range or capability to carry something. Joss wrote and directed next week's episode so I'm really hoping that the show does kick into high gear and more importantly, is a great episode in general. There've been brief hints (i.e. the shower scene in this week's episode) at the show possibly being good but it's just way too hit and miss right now.

My probable keepers... C/F Tim Duncan, G Mo Williams, and G/F Corey Maggette

OF Rickey Henderson At his peak he can offer a .320/.420/.500 line with 100+ BB and 100+ SB

Barry Zito is my pick

I think part of my issue with the standings is that there's no real insight into what a good team is. Most sports consider finishing above .500 good, right? Just in terms of wins vs. losses... 2006: 21 teams finished above .500 2007: 22 teams finished above .500 90+ points used to be for great teams but now, with the shootouts included, it seems like many teams can get 80 as a minimum. There's no real number to look at as a fan and go, "That's the benchmark to reach points wise." Is 100 the benchmark? In 2006, 11 teams finished over 100 points. In 2007, there were only 5 teams with a handful of others right at 99, 98, or 97. There's already 3 teams at 95 points this season with roughly 15+ games to go in the season. In all other sports, you generally have an idea of what it takes for a team to reach their playoffs. In the NFL it's winning at least 10 games, in MLB it's getting around the 90-92 win mark, and in the NBA it's winning around 50 games.

Larry Coker lives on! http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform...aspx?id=4217361 San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - Former Miami-Florida head coach Larry Coker is reportedly set to become the first-ever head coach for the new football program at the University of Texas-San Antonio. According to the San Antonio Express-News, Coker beat out Tulsa associate head coach Paul Randolph and Northwest Missouri head coach Mel Tjeerdsma for the position. The Roadrunners plan to play their first season in 2011 in the Football Championship Subdivision. Coker spent six seasons at the helm for the Hurricanes, leading the school to a national championship in his first season, 2001. After winning three consecutive Big East titles from 2001-2003, Miami moved to the ACC, and Coker didn't fare as well. The Hurricanes failed to appear in a BCS bowl in the final three seasons of Coker's tenure, and he was subsequently fired after compiling a 60-15 record overall. - Former WR Troy Walters is also the new OC for Indiana State.

I got 64/84 on the nicknames (Could picture most of the golfers but not name them). I also got 28/40 on the most valuable franchises.

We only have 24 picks left! Nice job on this draft time wise...

I need a healthy catcher to start the season so... C Jason Varitek

I came upon The Mitchell Report here (player list in alphabetical order, previous entries = later letters): http://www.steroidlist.com/?cat=1 A lot of people talk about asterisking stats from essentially 1990 - 2003 but it struck me that a large majority of the players named in the list were mediocre to adequate players in general. Just take a gander at these studs: Ricky Bones, Jeremy Giambi, Marvin Benard, Tim Laker, Hal Morris, F.P. Santangelo, Ron Villone, and Fernando Vina. The interesting names: Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro, Ken Caminiti, Gary Sheffield, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Lenny Dykstra, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, David Justice, Mo Vaughn, Miguel Tejada, Kevin Brown, Eric Gagne, Brendan Donnelly, Rick Ankiel, and Jose Guillen

Also solid in My Own Private Idaho

I'm dying on the HOF in part because of the Negro Leaguers but also because I've totally blanked on almost any and all pitchers... bah. Most annoying was knowing I knew the names but couldn't recall them for the life of me: 58/232 I suck with team nicknames in general and just remember the location. FBS Nicknames: 89/120 FCS Nicknames: 28/125 - I missed Southern Illinois b/c I couldn't spell the nickname right

I'm curious, do you (not just you but in general, everybody) think that this is what separates say a Quad A guy from a Major Leaguer or is that more the case of just getting enough at bats to put up a good sample size? Players like Dan Johnson come to mind. Good first year and just falls off the next two seasons. He's struggling to hit .235 BA wise but at AAA has hit .313 in 748 AB over his past three healthy seasons there. One of the big knocks on Angels' prospect Brandon Wood is his inability to make contact/strike out so much (4 BB vs. 55 K in MLB doesn't help). Granted, he did have 150 AB but he's hit .272 and .296 the past two years in AAA. The general consensus seems to be that AA (or just AAA) is where the pitchers start coming into their own and as a hitter, the test starts to become whether you can not only recognize but hit the breaking ball pitches. So is it just fundamentals/mechanics that leads to somebody struggling at the plate? If so, isn't the onus on the hitting coach/manager to help the player break through?