Bored

Yup it's looking like it could come down to the Orange Bowl. You two differ on the Cotton and Rose Bowl on January 1st.

I'm biased but the game of the year in college basketball was Arizona at Stanford in February. Well played, competitive game from start to finish with the best ending of the year. Hate to scream WEST COAST BIAS~ but if that exact same game with the exact same finish happens with Duke involved, no doubt it makes the list.

Bowl season kicks off tommorrow night, all be it the only game this week. This thread will just be for general bowl discussion to talk about upcoming games and make in game comments. If there is a bowl game you feel will deserve it's own thread feel free to make one although I'd advise waiting at least until a couple of days before the game. Now there are two bowl threads already created for the Orange Bowl and Rose Bowl. The Orange Bowl thread is currently closed and will remain so until the day of the game. You can read why in the thread but please don't discuss it here. Here is the full television schedule for the bowls. Tuesday, December 14 New Orleans: North Texas vs. Southern Miss, 7:30/4:30 PM, ESPN Tuesday, December 21 Tangerine: Syracuse vs. Georgia Tech, 7:45/4:45 PM, ESPN Wednesday, December 22 GMAC: Memphis vs. Bowling Green, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN Thursday, December 23 Fort Worth: Cincinnati vs. Marshall, 6:30/3:30 PM, ESPN Las Vegas: UCLA vs. Wyoming, 9:45/6:45 PM, ESPN Friday, December 24 Hawaii: UAB vs. Hawaii, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN Monday, December 27 MPC Computers: Fresno State vs. #18 Virginia, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, ESPN Motor City: Toledo vs. Connecticut, 5:30/2:30 PM, ESPN Tuesday, December 28 Independence: Iowa State vs. Miami University, 6:30/3:30 PM, ESPN Insight: Oregon State vs. Notre Dame, 9:45/6:45 PM, ESPN Wednesday, December 29 Houston: Colorado vs. UTEP, 4:30/1:30 PM, ESPN Alamo: #25 Ohio State vs. #24 Oklahoma State, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN Thursday, December 30 Continental Tire: Boston College vs. North Carolina, 1:00 PM/10:00 AM, ESPN2 Emerald: Navy vs. New Mexico, 4:30/1:30 PM, ESPN2 Holiday: #22 Texas Tech vs. #5 California, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN Silicon Valley: Northern Illinois vs. Troy, 11:00/8:00 PM, ESPN2 Friday, December 31 Music City: Alabama vs. Minnesota, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN Sun: Purdue vs. #19 Arizona State, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, CBS Liberty: #10 Louisville vs. #9 Boise State, 3:30/12:30 PM, ESPN Peach: #23 Florida vs. #14 Miami, 7:30/4:30 PM, ESPN Saturday, January 1 Outback: #17 Wisconsin vs. #7 Georgia, 11:00/8:00 AM, ESPN Cotton: #20 Texas A&M vs. #15 Tennessee, 11:00/8:00 AM, Fox Gator: West Virginia vs. #16 Florida State, 12:30 PM/9:30 AM, NBC Capital One: #12 Iowa vs. #11 LSU, 1:00 PM/10:00 AM, ABC Rose: #13 Michigan vs. #4 Texas, 4:30/1:30 PM, ABC Fiesta: #21 Pittsburgh vs. #6 Utah, 8:30/5:30 PM, ABC Monday, January 3 Sugar: #8 Virginia Tech vs. #3 Auburn, 8:00/5:00 PM, ABC Tuesday, January 4 Orange: #2 Oklahoma vs. #1 USC, 8:00/5:00 PM, ABC

Texans - 23 points Cincinnati Cleveland Tennessee Green Bay Miami Washington New Orleans N.Y. Jets Buffalo San Francisco Atlanta Tampa Bay Indianapolis Oakland Kansas City N.Y. Giants

New Mexico hasn't won a bowl game since the 1961 Aviation Bowl.

On that note Edwin could clinch the title tommorrow if both North Carolina and New Mexico win. If Boston College and Navy win then Vern ties it up going into January 1st.

Just a note I'll be creating daily threads for the next three days of bowls since there are several games each day.

Your violating your probation Dama.

Today's Games Houston Bowl: Colorado vs. UTEP Alamo Bowl: #24 Oklahoma State vs. #25 Ohio State Tune into the Alamo Bowl to see if either school can still field a team with all the suspensions.

I guess I'll beat Al to the punch. Matsui's Bill James Handbook Projections: .296/.380/.496, 591 AB, 38 doubles, 26 HR, 109 RBI, 98 R, 80 BB, 88 K, 2 SB Matsui's ZIPS projections from Baseball Primer: .293/.384/.481, 588 AB, 37 doubles, 24 HR, 99 RBI, 95 R, 87 BB, 96 K, 2 SB

I have a feeling Boras is waiting for that one team to flinch and insanely outbid every other team like the Rangers did for A-Rod.

Witness the live sacraficing of Notre Dame football on ESPN right now! I had a feeling this might get ugly with Oregon State's passing game against Notre Dame's horrendous secondary but it's been special team's that have caused this lopsided score. This game is going to get uglier before it's over. And then Oregon State forgets to play defense on 3rd down an entire drive, with a ticky tack pass interference call throw in, and Notre Dame gives themselves some hope going into the half.

Today's Games Independence Bowl: Miami University vs. Iowa State Insight Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Oregon State

Brian Sabean and Dave Miley bring the funny. -Sabean on Moises Alou -Miley on signing Eric Milton

Sure why not? Ken Griffey Jr. is listed as the player most likley to suffer any sort of injury but did you need a book to tell you that?

Damn I didn't know Bruce Gradkowski's hand was is such bad shape. This game might already be over at 17-0 in the first quarter. I do find it funny but not surprising that the only bowl game to this point that ESPN is giving a ton of promo hype is the Insight Bowl since Notre Dame is playing in it.

Had two game so far where everyone agreed on the pick (UCLA over Wyoming, Virginia over Fresno State) and in both the underdog has won. Three more games like that left: Everyone picked Cal in the Holiday Bowl, Georgia in the Outback Bowl, and Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. Edit: Scoreboard update thru December 29th (assuming OkSt. doesn't make a huge comeback). Virginia 7, Minnesota 5 Syracuse 7, UCLA 6 Washington State 4, LSU 4 Maryland 6, Hawaii 5 Bowling Green 6, Oregon 5 Texas 6, Notre Dame 5 Stanford 7, Ohio State 5

Fresno State ties it up on 4th and Goal with 11 seconds left. Likely heading to overtime. And they win it in overtime 37-34. The perfect end to a dissapointing season for Virginia.

Actually believe it or not the GAB played as an extreme pitcher's park last year even though it allows a good number of homeruns. It played as a neutral park in it's first year in 2003. Citizens Bank Park slightly favored hitters last year but gave up a huge number of homeruns, many of them by Milton. I think Milton's deal is a perfect example that there is still some GM's who think a pitcher's win-loss record is relevent to a pitcher's performance. There is no way in hell Milton is as good as Matt Clement but because he won 14 games with great run support and Clement won 9 games with terrible run support Milton gets the same deal as Clement. Any general manager who thinks this way is not fit to keep their job.

Okay now the bowl schedule comes fast and furious with 20 games in the next six days. In the MPC Computers Bowl Virginia should beat Fresno State relatively easily but UCLA should have beaten Wyoming relatively easily and that game ended so far being the only close bowl game. Then there is the Motor City Bowl with UConn and Toledo which is one of the least compelling bowl match-ups but should produce a competitive and potentially exciting game.

They moved the fences back at Kauffman before last year. Speaking of Dodger Stadium apparantly it won't be quite as pitcher friendly next year as they are doing a major reconstruction and there will be much less foul territory.

And the 49ers are now on the clock. 41-0, perfect way to go out in front of the home fans this season. The York Family is officially now the new Bidwell Family of the NFL. I'm so not looking forward to making the playoffs twice in the next 50 years.

The injury predictor isn't James' study but some guy named Sig Mejdal. James even says in the book there is no way to know how well it will work. Mejdal claims in the book that 7 out of 10 pitchers he had projected on his list for elbow injuries last year suffered one that kept them out for a month or more in 2004, one of them being Andy Pettitte. He wasn't quite as succesful predicting other injuries though.

Got my copy. -Frank Robinson called one pitchout all year. Ken Macha and Felipe Alou each called two pitchouts for the year. Dusty Baker led all managers calling 55 pitchouts. -Damion Easley led the N.L. in OPS vs. sliders. -Larry Bigbie led the A.L. in OPS vs. changeups. -Brian Roberts led the A.L. in total number of pitches seen for the year and best BPS (batting average + slugging) on pitches outside the strike zone. -Ron Villone led the A.L. in OBP vs. 1st Batter Faced. -Ruben Sierra is the active career leader in sacrafice flies. -Kenny Rogers led the Majors with 11 cheap wins. Ben Sheets led the Majors with 11 tough losses. -Top 10 Players Most Likely to have a Back Injury next year: Mike Sweeney, Sammy Sosa, Ivan Rodriguez, Brent Mayne, Garret Anderson, Juan Gonzalez, Trot Nixon, Nick Johnson, Billy McMillon, and Vladimir Guerrero. -Top 10 Pitchers Most Likely to have a Elbow Injury next year: Bob Wickman, Andy Pettite, Kurt Ainsworth, Joel Pineiro, Victor Zambrano, Randy Wolf, Lino Urdaneta, Kris Benson, Mike Mussina, and Jay Powell.

I really like what Doug Melvin is doing with the Brewers this offseason. I'd replace Sabean with him. Really what has he done since the Jeff Kent/Matt Williams trade? Take Barry Bonds off the team and they are terrible. This senior league team he's put together is doomed to fall apart. Edit: Okay the Jason Schmidt trade as well but he was dealing with the Pirates and it's almost impossible to not get the best of them.