He's no Montana, not even close

If you're trying to figure out the next media crush when Florida quarterback Tim Tebow graduates, look no further than USC's Matt Barkley.

After one collegiate game SI.com writer Stewart Mandel set off a barrage of anger when he compared the Trojans freshman QB to All-time great Joe Montana. Things have gotten worse since USC stole a win last Saturday in Columbus.

LA Time's columnist Bill Plaschke wrote "the questions that had dogged the USC football program for several weeks were stunningly answered Saturday night with two words. Matt. Barkley."

Fanhouse's Jay Mariotti wrote "never have I seen a quarterback so young, in a game with Bowl Championship Series implications, carve out an epic 86-yard rally in an enemy setting." Others evoked images of a John Elway-esque drive.

This has been bugging me all week. Were they watching the same game I was?

I give USC lots of credit for the win. And yes, Barkley was taking snaps on the final drive but what did he really do?

Give the ball to tailback Joe McKnight. McKnight lead the Trojans down the field on that "epic" drive, circa Reggie Bush. Bush bailed out USC time-and-time again during his time in LA.

Barkley completed three throws on the final drive, though two of them were dump off passes. For the game the freshman was a pedestrian 15-of-31 passing for 195 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception (yawn).

Call me crazy, I just don't see the Montana or Elway comparisons. Barkley could develop into that type of player one day, but it's clear he's not there yet. I wouldn't even say he's as good as Mark Sanchez.

As for the game 18-15 victory, I'd say Barkley & Co. are lucky referees continue to conform to human nature, and err a lot.

NFL Predictions: It's going to be a struggle

Will the Pittsburgh Steelers challenge the New England Patriots as the "team of the decade"? Will QB Tom Brady put up ridiculous offensive numbers again? TO is in yet another uniform, but how long until he wear's out his Buffalo welcome? Those are just a few story lines as we begin the 2009 NFL Season. But the biggest story line if you ask me, is along the sidelines.

There are nine first-time head coaches in the NFL (including two in the Bay Area who were interim coaches last year). Their average age is 43.7-years-old and it shows.  Denver's new head man, 33-year-old Josh McDaniels, wasted no time chasing away QB Jay Cutler and killing wide out Brandon Marshall's resolve. Raheem Morris, 33, and Todd Haley, 42, both fired their respective offensive coordinator's days before kickoff. Oakland coach Tom Cable allegedly punched out someone on his staff. How will these coaches fare? We will soon find out.

Now onto my fearless predictions (which I tweeted before Thursday night's slug fest)...

AFC PLAYOFFS

Baltimore (Wild Card): QB Joe Flacco got lucky when Derrick Mason decided to keep playing. The Ravens running game should be dominant, with a strong offensive line and loaded backfield.

Indianapolis (South champ): It doesn't matter who the head coach is (Tony Dungy retired this off season) with QB Peyton Manning starting the season healthy the Colts will reclaim the division crown.

New England (East champ): Tom Brady's back, Bill Belichick is coaching. Enough said.

Pittsburgh (North champ): They return nearly everyone from their sixth Super Bowl championship team. Last year the Steelers slugged through the league's toughest schedule, things ease up with the fourth easiest schedule this year.

San Diego (West champ): In a terrible division, the Bolts should win the division title with relative comfort. If they keep oft-injured players like LT, Shawne Merriman and Antonio Gates healthy, the postseason could be special.

Tennessee (Wild Card): They will continue to play Jeff Fisher smash-mouth football, which means they aren't falling out of the playoff picture.

NFC PLAYOFFS

Green Bay (Wild Card): The Packers' move to a 3-4 defense will be dramatic and help vault the Pack into the playoffs thanks to their potent offense.

Minnesota (North champ): Despite bringing in Brett Favre, the Vikings are Adrian Peterson's team. AP will carry the load as the defense talent remains tremendous.

New Orleans (South champ): The Saints could be a legit Super Bowl contender because their offense is a Brees (that's lead by QB Drew Brees). New coordinator Gregg Williams will improve the D just enough to get them into January.

NY Giants (Wild Card): New York's defense is stacked and QB Eli Manning only needs to come up with a few big plays to win 10 games. Punch their ticket, the G-Men are going back to the playoffs.

Philadelphia (East champ): The Eagles are the most talent laden team in the NFC. With coaching stability, QB Donovan McNabb is out of excuses if Philly doesn't win.

Seattle (West champ): The Seahawks were crippled last year due to injuries. The defense should improve and getting QB Matt Hasselbeck back and healthy will pay dividends. 

And as for the biggest game...

SUPER BOWL: San Diego OVER Philadelphia -- It's a big anniversary for the AFL, one it's original teams is bound to win. The Chargers seem overdue and I think Rivers, LT and company get the job done.

NCAA Kickoff: Who will win it all?

You won't see Florida celebrating again in 2009.

It's the first big day of the 2009 college football season, which means it's time for some fearless predictions.

Nearly every writer and analyst is picking the Florida Gators to make back-to-back appereances in the BCS Championship game. Most are taking the Gators to will win it all. I can see why. 

The Florida defense returns 11 starters and all the top reserves, making it one of the deepest units in the country. And fearless leader QB Tim Tebow returns for his senior season. But I see trouble in Gainesville this year.

First, new offensive coordinator Steve Addazio has been experimenting with the I-formation this offseason. That means the Gators will likely use Tim Tebow more under center and not exclusively out the shotgun. Basically, Florida's explosive spread offense will be handicapped by their play calling. Why change something when it clearly not broken?

I think this is the ball game for Gator coach Urban Meyer and his spread. If his coaching staff cannot shape Tebow into a NFL caliber quarterback, elite QB recruits will recognize Alex Smith and Tebow could not make the professional jump and snub the Gators.

The second area of trouble for the Gators is fact they will speedy wideout Percy Harvin (now a Minnesota Viking). Harvin was a college game-changer and his presence is really irreplaceable. Put the ball in his and something special happens. Like USC without Reggie Bush, I think Florida will struggle in some key situations without Harvin.

Where do the '09 Gators end up? Here are my picks...

ORANGE BOWL: Georgia Tech (ACC champ) vs. Ohio State (At-large)

SUGAR BOWL: Florida (At-large) vs. West Virgina (Big East champ) 

FIESTA BOWL: USC (At-large) vs. Texas (At-large)

ROSE BOWL: Penn State (Big 10 champ) vs. Oregon (Pac-10 champ)

TITLE GAME: Oklahoma OVER Alabama

Boise fracas could have been reduced

In the heat of the moment a stupid sucker punch ended running back LeGarrette Blount's promising college football career.

The incident has been replayed or mentioned on ESPN nearly every 10 minutes today. Following the No. 16 Oregon Ducks lethargic 19-8 loss to Boise State Thursday, Blount socked Bronco defensive end Byron Hout in the jaw.

In every case it takes two to tango. Hout yelled in Blount's face and slapped his shoulder pad. You can't tell what Hout said but Boise State coach Chris Petersen obviously took offense to it and quickly tried to step in. Unfortunately, LeGarrette's fist got there first.

I've read and listened to a lot of analysts talk about the fracas, and the reoccurring word of the day describing the incident is "reprehensible." Blount was wrong, but his actions were not unforgivable. 

You don't punch a guy -- who probably deserved it -- and it was despicable for him to try and go after Boise fans. But that situation with the fans should never have happened.

Bronco fans were given a second chance to view the confrontation when it was replayed on the stadium's JumboTron. This gave fans the chance to break out into a frenzy and to taunt Blount for reason aside from his big mouth. There's no telling what would have happened if the incident was not replayed, but I think there is a good chance many in the crowd would have missed it.

To me replaying the punch was more reprehensible than the punch itself. The repetition ensured that every Boise State fan saw what happened and incited some to heckle Blount.

In Major League Baseball, controversial plays are rarely replayed on the big screens in stadiums so fans don't become belligerent. The NCAA needs to review its big screen replay rules and look into why the punch seen around the world was replayed inside Boise's stadium.

NCAA Kickoff: Will Tebow-love ever end?

It goes beyond being called a bromance. The media's infatuation with Florida QB Tim Tebow qualifies as straight up man love. 

Unfortunately, it's not going to stop anytime soon. There's even an entire blog devoted to all things Tebow.

What's not to love, right? He is the leader of the indisputable preseason favorite to win a third national championship in four years. The media voted the Gators No. 1 in the AP poll with a record 96.7 percent of first-place votes.

The bullish Tebow has already amassed 110 career touchdowns (running, passing and jump-passing), a pair of SEC titles, two national championships, one Heisman award and one post-game speech immortalized outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. That's quite the list. 

And now, everyone is fawning over Tebow accomplishments. They say he's going to be the best ever.

CFN's Pete Fiutak writes "if Tebow leads the Gators to the national title, and/or if he wins a second Heisman, the question won't be whether or not he's the greatest college quarterback of all-time; the question will be how wide the gap is between him and the No. 2 guy on the list."

Blogger Dan Shanoff writes "Tim Tebow is already in the conversation for 'Greatest Ever,' even before this season starts. Layer in another national title and another Heisman, and I don't think it's close."

Even the more skeptical SI.com writer Stewart Mandel seemed to heed the hype after developing a greatest score.

I just can't buy into it. Tim Tebow's "greatness" is unequivocally tied to Florida coach Urban Meyer and his offensive system. Which makes Tebow a "system guy." Just look at this comparison:

PASSING STATS

--Alex Smith ('04): 2,952 yards, 9.3 yds/att, 32 TDs, 4 Ints, 176.5 Rating

--Tim Tebow ('07, Heisman winner): 3,286 yards, 9.3 yds/att, 32 TDs, 6 Ints, 172.5 Rating

RUSHING STATS

--Smith: 802 yards, 14 TDs, 4. 9 yds/carry*

--Tebow: 895 yards, 23 TDs, 4.3 yds/carry 

Eerily similar? 

OK, I fudged on Smith's rushing stats. He actually rushed for 631 yards and a mere 10 touchdowns. But the Utes leading rusher from '04, Marty Johnson, actually put up those near *matching numbers.

It was Meyer's gimmicky spread offense turned in an undefeated season for Utah in 2004 and made then QB Alex Smith into a No. 1 pick. So shouldn't this really be a discussion about him?

Tim Tebow is reaping the benefits of playing under one of the most destructive offensive schemes in college football history. He's been more productive than previous quarterbacks Smith and Omar Jacobs. But that doesn't make him great.

Greatness envelops talent. You could see it in the likes of Archie Griffin, Jim Brown, Herschel Walker and even Peyton Manning. That's where the media is missing in the love-fest. Tebow's true talent has yet to be measured.

Where will Tebow measure up? Only time will tell. But for now get the antacids ready, because it's Tebow's world and we're living in it.

NCAA Kickoff: Why does the Big 10 stink?

It's been one of the most discussed topics over the past couple years, what's wrong with the Big Ten? While it's growing stale, the question still merits a discussion.

One problem the Big Ten has is Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans. Since 2002, Southern Cal has enjoy quite the renaissance and has feasted on the Big Ten's Rose Bowl participant. Michigan fell 32-18 in 2006, Illinois, who didn't belong and proved it, got obliterated 49-17 and Penn State experienced a similar fate last year falling 38-24 in the granddaddy of all bowls.

For casual football fans the Big Ten Rose Bowl blunders look like incompetence, but the truth of the matter is give Carroll a month to prep and he'll make 116 out of 120 teams look silly. You can't blame the Big Ten on that count.

But there is a BIG bowl problem. The conference went just 1-6 in postseason games in 2008 and hasn't produced a winning bowl record since 2002. And they've gone 3-8 in the Bowl Championship Series the last six years, including big flops from Ohio State. 

Right there is another reason for the Big Ten's perception problem, America's punchline: The Ohio State University.

Where USC has carried the one-team Pac-10 conference, the one-team Big Ten has floundered with the Buckeyes in recent years. Not help, is the team from Columbus has been media purgatory ever since their supposed "best ever" coronation in 2006 and then thrashing at the hands of Florida, 41-14.

Are the Buckeyes really that terrible? Just look at who Ohio State has lost to over the past four years.

--2005: Texas (eventual national champs)

--2006: Florida (national champs)

--2007: Illinois (Rose Bowl participant), LSU (national champs)

--2008: USC (Rose Bowl winner), Penn State (Big 10 champs), Texas (arguably No. 1 or 2 in nation)

Eight Ohio State losses in four years, all to BCS teams. Compare that to USC. The Trojans have lost six games in that span: once in the title game ('05 Texas squad), once in Autzen to Oregon, then unexplainable losses to Oregon State (twice), Stanford and a terrible UCLA team. So who should be more beleaguered by the media?

As a league, the Big Ten just needs to win games, especially showcase ones. Ohio State, Michigan State and Minnesota all have early chances to help repair their conferences tattered reputation. And the Big Ten needs teams like the Gophers, Iowa and Purdue to rediscover their winning ways.

Also, I think the conference should embrace it cold roots and schedule games in December. Snowy football works for the NFL, why not the Big Ten?

Really, what else can be said for the conference that's sent more teams to the BCS than any other league.

NCAA Kickoff: Can you quack U-G-L-Y?

If you want to watch an aesthetically pleasing college football game this year, be wary of the SEC, but whatever you do don't tune in on Sept. 3.

That Thursday, the Boise State Broncos debut their hideous new uniforms on their ugly blue carpet (aka Smurf Turf) as they host the Oregon Ducks.

Oregon, with help from Nike, always push the boundaries of athletic style and sometimes miss. But if you miss this Thursday night showdown, you may be overlooking the start of a special season in Eugene.

After 14 years, there's a new head coach on the Oregon sideline, but don't expect them to miss a beat. Mike Bellotti gave way in a near seamless transition to Chip Kelly. 

As offensive coordinator, Kelly installed a run-base spread that turned erratic QB Dennis Dixon into a Hesiman candidate before he blew out his ACL. Barring a key injury on offense, there's no doubt the 2009 Ducks spread is bound to be better-than-ever.

Expected to be a feature in that offense is running back LeGarrette Blount. Last year, he was overshadow by fellow 1,000-yard rusher Jeremiah Johnson, but lived up to his junior college hype when he got his chances. Blount averaged a ridiculous 7.3 yards per carry and managed eight runs over 30 yards. I think we'll be seeing a lot of highlight reel runs like this from No. 9...

The '09 version of the Ducks has question marks on both the offensive and defensive lines, but they should be able to overcome them.

Like the 2007 Ducks, who rose to No. 2 in the nation, this year's Pac-10 schedule sets up perfectly. Cal, USC and Oregon State, the toughest conference opponents, all must make the trip to Autzen (the loudest stadium in the country).

Oregon was the last team to win an outright Pac-10 title not named USC (2001). This Ducks team has all the makings to do it again.

The Plight of the Pirates

It's been a cumbersome two decades for the Pirate Parrot and the rest of the organization.

Over the past decade, one axiom in MLB has held true: if it's July in Pittsburgh a veteran (or four or five) is being traded.

This year, the latter held true.

With the trade deadline looming, the Pirates turned one last double play with shortstop Jack Wilson and second baseman Freddy Sanchez, sending their two most popular players packing. That put the finishing touches on a complete roster overhaul since general manager Neal Huntington took over. Only four players remain from the original 2007 25-man roster.

Once more those trades seal Pittsburgh's fate, 82 losses are now inevitable and so is the infamy that comes with it. The Pirates will replace the 1933-48 Philadelphia Phillies for the most consecutive losing seasons in pro sports history (17).

In a sick way, that's an accomplishment. But what's gone wrong?

The simplest answer is years of mismanagement.

First of all the Pirates tried to build their franchise by drafting pitchers, a high-risk strategy. Between 1996 and 2006, Pittsburgh picked eight first-round hurlers and all but one of them (Paul Maholm) suffered major elbow or shoulder injuries. None of those draftees were named Scott Kazmir or Cole Hamels. The payoff for this strategy, Maholm has made it to the majors, but isn't much more than a solid No. 3 starter. 

Also, Pirates coaches messed up pitchers' deliveries that were working. Take Zach Duke for example. He arrived in the bigs in 2005 and went 8-1 with a 1.81 ERA in 14 starts. What happened next year? New manager Jim Tracy and his staff decided to change Duke' delivery despite his numbers from '05, and Duke hasn't fully recovered yet. The story is eerily similar for Oliver Perez.

Next in this horror story, Pittsburgh wasted millions on mediocre veterans like Derek Bell, Sean Casey, Jeromy Burnitz and Matt Morris. Really!?! What's even better is they traded away one of their few productive players in 2006 (Craig Wilson) for Shawn Chacon, who was going to be cut by the NY Yankees. That's brilliant!

Even more brilliant are other numerous mind-numbing trades.

Since 2000, the Pirates have shipped the likes of Aramis Ramirez, Jason Bay,  Jason Schmidt, Mike Gonzalez, Jose Guillen, Kenny Lofton, Jeff Suppan, Xavier Nady, Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez.. the list continues.. Brian Giles, Nate McClouth, Adam LaRoche, Jason Kendall, Tony Womack, Oliver Perez and Bronson Arroyo out of the Burgh.

Who have they gotten in return? I can't say for sure.

The most egregious of these trades happened in July 2003. Trailing the division leader by less than 10 games, the Buccos decided to trim their payroll trading away their only homegrown power prospect in decades. Then 25-year-old Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton headed to Chicago's ivy confines, while the Pirates brought in Jose Hernandez, Bobby Hill and Matt Bruback (who?).

Ramirez hasn't hit fewer than 25 home runs in his time in the Windy City. He's also batted better than .300 three times in five years as a Cub and driven in 100-plus RBIs four times. The players Pittsburgh got, well none of them are playing baseball anymore. That sums up the plight of the Pirates.

Pirate fans have been wandering in the wilderness since 1992 when, dare I say it, Sid Bream hobbled around the bases for a Game 7 soul crushing loss in the NLCS.

How great would that be now? Losing a meaningful game in October sounds amazing. I haven't watched the Bucs play a meaningful game beyond June since I was seven.

Once upon a time the Pittsburgh Pirates were a flagship franchise. They won five world series, produced 11 batting champions and 34 Hall of Famers (including Honus, Willie and Roberto). Hard to believe you will soon add longest pro-sports losing streak EVER to that list.

Trading away the team's last popular veterans seems like a fitting close to this decade. While it's been painful, I hope GM "wheel-and-deal" Neal (Huntington) knows what he's doing.

Hey that's saying something... there's a little hope out there.

Three Games, Three Days (revisited)

I haven't been blogging much recently, because I'm still reveling in my latest baseball adventure. For the third-straight summer I managed to plan a vacation around seeing as many MLB games as possible.

I failed to write about last year's trip (to Philadelphia, Baltimore and D.C.), which was a blast, but I did include a couple pictures (see above). But you can read about my original three games in three days experience out in California.

Back to my most recent trip. In four days, I was able to watch the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates all take the field. While the baseball wasn't the greatest (the Pirates got one-hit), all the ballparks offer the complete game day atmosphere.

Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park on the winding banks of the Ohio River, makes for a very scenic view to catch a game. But aside from the Riverboat and its deck camped out beyond center field there's not much that stands out.

That's unlike Detroit's Comerica Park. As you walk toward Comerica your eyes drawn to the massive Tiger sculptures lining the sides and top of the park. Once inside a Ferris wheel, sculptures of past-Tiger greats and the decade-by-decade pedestrian museum all are vying for you attention. The scoreboard has an old school look that's forgettable, but that's because the rest of stadium is unforgettable.

I won't rave for paragraphs about my favorite park to watch a game in, PNC Park. The limestone-lined park has a classic feel and the gorgeous backdrop of the Pittsburgh skyline set next to the Allegheny River. Overall, I think PNC offers the complete fan experience.

It's hard to tell where the next baseball trip will take me, but for now enjoy the pictures from all of my baseball fun in '08 and '09 (including a bonus visit to the Northwest).

Pardon for Pete would erode integrity

The NY Daily News was the first to report that after some behind the scenes lobbying from former greats, MLB commissioner Bud Selig is supposedly mulling over a pardon for Pete Rose.

What that would mean is that Rose, the all-time hits leader, would have a clear path to Cooperstown.

It's nearly impossible to argue against Rose's greatness, because of where he stands in the record books: the most hits, the sixth-most runs scored and the second-most doubles. But he also holds a unique place in baseball history for his actions off the field.

ESPN.com's Buster Onley writes, "during the past two decades, [Rose's] behavior has been appalling. He has been nothing less than a lowlife."

He's a lowlife who broke baseball's rules and trust, when he was caught gambling as a manager. And he proceeded to lie about it for long time. 

It's true, a reinstatement for Rose would not automatically mean the Hall of Fame would be rolling out the red carpet. He would have to be elected by the Veterans Committee, as his 15 years on the Baseball writers ballot has lapsed, and that's no sure thing.

But more than that, if Rose receives a forgiveness and enters the Hall, it's a slap in the face to baseball's integrity. An integrity that has come under a fires as the game continues to be mired in steroid's era.

Character needs to count for the Hall of Fame.

You cheat, you lie, you win? 

That's the message Selig and the of his cronies would send if Rose gets reinstated. That's one message baseball cannot afford to send.

Tiger-less Turnberry exposes game

The three previous Open Championships at Scotland's famed Turnberry course were arguably won by the greatest golfer at the time.

In 1977, Tom Watson out-dueled Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman stole the show in 1986 and Nick Price sunk a 50-foot eagle putt on the 71st hole in 1994 to win the Claret Jug. 

So where was the world's current No. 1 golfer when the leaders teed off for the final round? Well, Tiger Woods was home.

Woods, the 2-1 favorite, finished five-over (145) through 36 holes and on the wrong side of the cut line. Taking a closer look his stats they show the ugly truth: only 15 of 28 fairways hit and only 21 of 36 greens in regulation.

You don't win much golf, especially links golf, posting numbers like that. But that's been the M.O. on Tiger, and what many analysts fail to see.

Throughout his career when he's forced to hit his massive drive with pin-point precision, on courses like Turnberry, Woods tends to end up in the woods (or heather in this case). The enduring image from Tiger's Open Championship is him bent over fruitlessly look for his ball among the tall yellow grass on the 10th hole.

Tiger is the biggest name in the sport, and leaving the Open Championship early is a big surprise to most. If watch closely, and can see his struggles in foul weather and playing with deep roughs, this isn't a surprise at all.

Woods played a six-hole stretch at 7 over par, and that should expose his game. As good as Tiger plays most of time, there's still plenty of room for him to improve, especially on the links. I'm certainly not ready for Woods' coronation by analysts as the "Greatest Golfer ever".

As for cleaning up his act on the course, I'll let ESPN The Magazine's Rick Reilly take over.

The renaissance of Matt Cain

San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain has come out of the shadows this year and it's an overdue surprise.

Over the past two seasons Cain has been the cover boy for hard luck pitchers. Just look at the numbers, in '07 his 3.65 ERA earned him a 7-16 record (and a MLB Best-Worst FPS runner-up award). Last year, he posted a 3.76 ERA with 186 strikeouts but only went 8-14, while his teammate Tim Lincecum went 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA and won the NL Cy Young Award.

It's stunning, same team, same sour offense, completely different results.

This year things are turning around for Cain. Like Lincecum, he's got double-digit wins (10) and his ERA is a stellar 2.38 is a hair above his cohort's 2.33.

Watching Cain pitch a couple times on TV this year, it has felt like deja vu, when he got no discernible offensive support. But what is different is Cain's confidence on the mound. He's firing more strikes, has command of the zone and looks less sullen than ever before.

In 2007 and 2008, you could visible see that Cain felt the pressure to be perfect. When things weren't going his way, he would walk from the mound and sit in the dugout with his head buried in a towel. That's not happening anymore. Like Lincecum, Cain is staying loose and winning more.

It's been a renaissance of sorts.

Hopefully Cain's pre-All-Star injury, taking a line drive off his pitching arm, won't set him back at all. Because it's been fun to watch baseball's best young pitching tandem keep the Giants playoff hopes alive.

Manny-love returns to Chávez Ravine

Fanhouse columnist Jay Mariotti recently wrote a scathing column on the return of LA Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez to the majors.

Mariotti writes "Just to refresh your memory, Manny is a shamed steroid cheat. He used a female fertility drug that produced artificial testosterone, making him the latest in a pathetic line of high-profile players who have done performance-enhancers and contaminated an entire baseball era. He also is a petty quitter, having stopped running out groundballs in a hissy-fit ploy that forced the Red Sox to trade him to the Dodgers. So why were people cheering him when he returned last weekend after a 50-game suspension? And giving him long, robust standing ovations?... Because most of these goofs were Dodger fans."

That really says it all.

Dodger fans while passionate, are some of the most obnoxious people to watch baseball with. They boo shamelessly, bail on games early and lack sophistication.

That said the LA faithful really only care about one thing, championships. They would turn a blind-eye if they had a team of cheats as long as the Blue stood on top in October. 

That's why they welcome back a known-cheater back standing on both feet. Manny was a monster last year producing a .396 average with 17 homers in the final two months of the '08 season, followed by an amazing postseason. Dodger fans need Manny, just as much as the goofy outfielder needs LA.

There's one small consolation in our star worshipping culture, only helped by ESPN's daily Manny-minor league updates, that is Ramirez and fellow cheat Alex Rodriguez will be very absent from this week's All-Star festivities. 

Some pitchers can't buy a "W"

It happens to at least one or two good pitchers every year. Aces who get victimized by no run support, porous defense and bullpen implosions. Their fine work off the mound just slips through the cracks. 

Two such guys this MLB season are Arizona's Doug Davis and last year's AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee of Cleveland.

Davis has very little to show for his 3.13 ERA this year, just a 4-8 record.  And he has the misfortunes of playing for the D'Backs who take the cake for making errors (last in the majors) and hemorrhage runs in the late innings (26th in bullpen ERA). 

That's only part of the story. Earlier this season the Diamondbacks allowed only four runs in a three-game series against San Francisco. What happened? They dropped two out three. Arizona's offensive futility was in full force, scoring a merger two runs in 27 innings.

Davis only seems to get better as the pressure turns up (.188 BA against with runners in scoring position), and his only hope to salvage this season is to hope for a July trade.

In the American League, Cliff Lee is abused. Sure he started off the year with a couple rough starts, but the numbers now show he hasn't slipped much from the guy who came from relative obscurity to post a 22-3 record.

Lee and Davis both share a common bond. They have the dubious honor to be tied for the most starts of 7-plus innings with 2 earned runs or fewer to pick up an "L". Both have five.

What makes matter worse for Lee is that the Indians are averaging just 1.6 runs/game in his eight losses, and closer Kerry Wood has blown two leads of Lee's in the late innings.

It comes with the territory in baseball, but it's tough to watch. Davis and Lee are pitching much better than their records will show. It's too bad history won't remember that.

Be thankful for Forbes legacy

As the Pittsburgh Pirates get set to play in their new gem of a ballpark (PNC Park) they pause to honor baseball's first palace, Forbes Field.

Forbes was the National League's first modern concrete-and-steel park built in the Oakland neighborhood in 1909. The field was cozy and certainly quirky. The outfield walls in left, center, and right field were 360 feet, 462 feet and 376 feet respectively when the park was completed. The field also feature ivy-covered walls and the infield sported a "rock-hard" surface that earned the stadium the nickname the "House of Thrills."

Baseball history happened at Forbes from Roberto Clemete's first hit to the Babe's parting blast. But what memorializes Forbes Field forever is Bill Mazeroski's 1960 Game 7 World Series winning home run that propelled the underdog Bucs past the NY Yankees. The magical moment lives on in baseball lore to this day.

The treasures of Forbes lives on today too, in nearly every one of the 21 retro-ear ballparks built since 1992, from Camden Yards to SAFECO Field to Nationals Park. I've visited the hallowed grounds for Pittsburgh fans where the two-tiered Forbes once stood. I've starred at the home plate used in the stadium's final game (preserved inside Pitt's Posvar Hall). I'm thankful for the Forbes legacy.

The Pirates christened the park on June 30, 1909 taking on the Chicago Cubs, 100-years later the Cubs are back, a fitting tribute in itself.

AP PHOTO/Gene Puskar: Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski sits in front of a replica of the left field wall at Forbes Field, at PNC Park before the Pirates' baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh.

The unknowable is unstoppable

The Los Angeles Lakers handily dispatched the Orlando Magic earlier this week earning their 15th title in franchise history and fourth championship this decade.

Since their last title in 2002, LA has traded away one superstar, watched another go through a public trial and demand out and seen multiple coaches.

That's plenty to write about not including Kobe Bryant's vindication (winning a Shaq-free title) or Phil Jackson becoming the greatest championship coach in NBA history (his 10 titles surpass Red Auerbach's nine). But the thing that really grabbed my attention during the finals, and playoffs for that matter, happened in between the action on the court.

Throughout the postseason Nike basketball produced a series of Kobe-LeBron (James) commercials. They didn't feature athletes themselves, rather humorous representations. As the NBA season is now over, so to could the curtain fall on this ingenious ad campaign.

Here's a look at my favorites...

The answer to the question, clearly is in another question...

Got to agree there, Kobe still ain't got no defense...



Better get that championship ring display case expanded.

Aside from the Boston-Chicago opening round series and horrible officiating during the playoffs, I'm not likely to forget these ads anytime soon. And if this is the end for the Kobe-LeBron puppets at least we know one of them is celebrating.

Revenge is sweeter

I couldn't help but revel in the scenes of people jamming every inch of downtown Pittsburgh today to celebrate their Stanley Cup champion Penguins.

Facing ridiculous odds after falling in the series 0-2, facing the overwhelming task of trying to win a NHL championship on the road, the Pens beat the champs earning the right to be called champs.

Last Friday night the aura of the Detroit Red Wings was smashed, we learned they could be human. But that's just one story line in the wake of a shocking final result.

Much of the credit for the Penguins win doesn't belong with Sidney Crosby (youngest captain to hoist the Cup) or Evgeni Malkin (playoffs MVP), but with maligned goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Doubts lingered large about Fleury's ability to win the big game after he was chased in Game 5, even I was skeptical. But Fleury bounced back, making a series saving stop on a breakaway from Detroit's Dan Cleary in the next game. And in what could be a lasting image from Game 7, Fleury made a sprawling save on Nicklas Lindstrom to seal the Cup.

Fleury is not perfect, but he is a redeemed goalie and has justified himself with this win as a No. 1 overall pick.

What makes this Stanley Cup particularly sweet as a fan, was seeing Cup chasing winger Marian Hossa end up on the losing side. 

After being an integral part of the Penguins finals run last year, Hossa spurned Pittsburgh. He decided to sign a lucrative one-year offer with Detroit, because he felt the defending champion Red Wings had a better chance to repeat than the Penguins.

Hossa was nearly invisible in the finals (zero goals, just three assists) but claims no regret in picking the losers over the winners. 

"Regret? I don't regret it," Hossa said to the press after Game 7. "We could sit here for hours and have a discussion on it. But I do not regret my decision."

For now all Hossa has left is to ponder how close he was to raising Lord Stanley's Cup, again.

For 375,000 Penguin fans that lined up to see the Cup there's nothing left to ponder. Party on Pittsburgh!

Still lacking respect

Quickly we are reaching the doldrums of summer, which means it's time for a Penguins-style blog comeback.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs ended in glorious fashion and the NBA Playoffs are sure to end soon (maybe tonight). That means it will soon be time for sports media everywhere to start focusing on our national pastime, football.

I'm going to jump the gun here.

After ten years, 108 wins and a shocking result in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, one would think Boise State football could design some decent uniforms.

That's not the case, again.

If you have the misfortunes of staring at the "Smurf Turf" this year, you'll also have to endure these hideous uni's (right). The piping is plain nasty.

It seems that Boise State thrives off ugliness. The Broncos boast the nation's best home-field record over the last ten years (64-2).

Maybe like the arctic fox who cunningly matches it's surroundings, these Broncos blend ugly uniforms into screaming blue turf, giving them a camouflaged advantage.

Though it could be they play soft non-conference schedule and then fest off WAC schools. Whatever the case, you'll soon be hearing about their BCS-busting possibilities again.

As for the Broncos quest for national respect, maybe they should start with a uniform overhaul.

Musing on March Madness

We are are little over an hour away from the start of March Madness and the much anticipated release of the NCAA tournament brackets. And for me news comes as a relief.

All the bubble talk involving schools like St. Mary's and Arizona would normally be engrossing. But that hasn't been the case this year. I blame ESPN.

For the entire college basketball season they've been running their field of 65 projections known as 'bracketology'. But over the past few days it seems like bracketologist Joe Lunardi has been doing hourly updates. There's no escaping it if you want to watch any conference tourney finals. Lundari is everywhere on ESPN's multiple platforms. Good news, the over saturation is about to end.

One other last thing. After watching the UNC-Virginia Tech ACC quarterfinal, the NCAA needs change the foul rules in the final minutes of a game. The Tar Heels stymied Va. Tech's final possession by fouling because they were under the bonus.

It's great strategy, but hard to stomach. I wanted the see the game play out, not bog down. The NCAA should take after the NBA and in the final minute if a team is under the bonus, they can only incur one foul without penalty. It would help add to excitement knowing a team could run a play, not just inbound the ball three times.

Anyway, time to countdown the final minutes. There should be mayhem in the coming weeks.

For Gonzaga the slipper still fits

As we inch toward the NCAA tournament everyone is trying to figure out who this year's Cinderella team is. One Cinderella is planning to make another tournament appearance, expect today they've morphed into colossus. I'm talking about that mid-sized Jesuit university in Spokane, Wash., Gonzaga.

Ten years ago, Gonzaga exploded onto the national scene with an improbable run to the Elite Eight. They were the story of the tournament, winning their first postseason game. But Gonzaga kept the success going making appearances in the Sweet 16 both in 2000 and 2001, eventually turning into a Top 25 mainstay.

However, it seems like the Zags have entered a fairy-tale netherworld with stagnating success and are in desperate need image overhaul. For the first time in 10 years, the Bulldogs have been eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the opening round in consecutive seasons. And the enduring image of Gonzaga (seen right) is star guard Adam Morrison crumpled to the floor in 2006 tournament, crying after an epic collapse to UCLA.

Will this Zags team be any different? We'll find out soon enough, but I think they can make a run. Gonzaga is ranked in the top 10 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Forward Josh Heytvelt is showing his potential to dominate, potential he showed before after schooling UNC's Tyler Hansbrough in MSG. With senior Jeremy Pargo leading the charge, the pieces are in place to erase their past failures.

Who's the BCS Champ? Flori-Duh

One thing is certain after the BCS national championship, the media loves a good pun. From “Chompions” to “Gators take a bite...” puns sprung up “Sooners rather than later”.

To give credit where credit is due, Real Clear Sports blogger Robbie Gillies came up with the title for this post. There's a few more good puns to check out.

What's not certain following Florida's 24-14 win over No. 1 Oklahoma is which school can claim they are college football's true champion. Sure, the Gators are the BCS champions, but a handful of other schools have legitimate gripes.

The game itself was sloppy and choppy, but one glaring thing stood out. Sooners coach nicknamed “Big Game Bob Stoops” continues to suffer paralysis in the biggest games. Again, when it mattered most Stoops mentally imploded.

It's not as if Oklahoma failed to show up as Sportsline's Gregg Doyel writes. The Sooners had ample chances to bury the Gators in the first half, but questionable, conservative play calling doomed OU in a pair of red-zone visits.

Then in the second half, Oklahoma failed to exploit its main advantage. You can blame the coaching staff. The Sooners huge, NFL-caliber offensive line was limited to just pass blocking. OU didn't stick with a ground game, netting just 107 yards.

Oklahoma is now 2-5 in the BCS under Bob Stoops. It's unbelievable they've made seven BCS trips, including four to titles games, but in these situations too often Stoops has called plays not to lose the game rather than call plays to win the game. It's inexplicable that the Sooners didn't continue to pound the ball at Florida. OU failed to play football at its best.

The Gators won the BCS title game as much as the Sooners lost the game.

So who really should be No. 1? We can all talk until we're blue in the face, but who knows for sure. Here's my final rankings, with style-points deducted for jump passes.

1. Utah (13-0)
2. Florida (13-1)
3. USC (12-1)
4. Texas (12-1)
5. Oklahoma (12-2)
6. Penn State (11-2)
7. TCU (11-2)
8. Alabama (12-2)
9. Ohio State (10-3)
10. Texas Tech (11-2)
---
Next In: Oregon (10-3)

Game!? What game?

ESPN's talking heads are lounging in Miami analyzing every aspect of tomorrow's college football title bout between Florida and Oklahoma. But columnist everywhere don't seem to care. They've already crowned a champion.

Rick Reilly says the undefeated Utah Utes (13-0) are national champions, because the BCS has no credibility. The End.

Yahoo's Dan Wetzel writes that Utah can score and tackle with anyone, but was cursed by lack of overall attention. "ESPN, the 800-pound gorilla of college football hype, is notorious for promoting the games and teams that it broadcasts. This past season that meant lots of Big 12 talk."

And then there's John Feinstein who in an open letter to the 65 members of the media who vote in the AP Poll, implores them to cast their final ballot of the season with one team and one only team ranked No. 1: the University of Utah.

So does anyone care there's a game tomorrow night?

I for one will be watching, and I think Sportsline's Dennis Dodd will be too.

After all, Dodd summed up the Sooners-Gators battle into one succinct matchup. Take a look...

Buckeyes loss was a win

An old football axiom held true last night, Ohio State feasted off their blitz for 59 minutes. But that same blitz betrayed the Buckeyes in the waning seconds.

Texas QB Colt McCoy read the defense and delivered a strike to wide receiver Quan Cosby for a 26-yard touchdown putting the Horns up 24-21 with 16 seconds left in the game. The Cosby catch provided yet another dagger in hearts of Buckeyes everywhere.

Following the game McCoy had a message for the pollsters: "I don't think there's anybody in the country who can beat us at this point."

The Buckeyes nearly did, and in losing the game they won.

The football factory in Columbus has been much maligned after a string of high profile losses. Ohio State was crushed in consecutive national championship games first by Florida (41-14) after the media had coronated them champs before kick off. Same story second verse as they fell to LSU (38-24) last year and then in a September game at USC the Buckeyes looked overmatched in another lopsided loss (35-3).

Last night was a different story. Ohio State's defense that quit in other big games limited Texas' potent offense to three first half points. In the third quarter, with fans and announcers waiting for the kill, the Buckeyes "D" was stout coming up with a pair of stops.

Coach Jim Tressel responded by tossing his standard offensive Big Ten playbook, opting for a variey of formations using both freshman QB Terrelle Pryor and senior sub Todd Boeckman. And Tressel was rewarded when Boeckman tossed a 5-yard TD pass to Pryor.

In the end a missed tackle was all that separated national championship-caliber Texas and the "undeserving" Buckeyes.

This year's Fiesta Bowl was an instant classic and a sign that Ohio State is still a relevant football program.

Fearless NFL Playoff Predictions

After 17 weeks on the gridiron, dozens of amazing plays and an inexplicable tie it's time for the playoffs. That's right, we're taking about the playoffs!?

One obvious storyline includes Miami and Atlanta, two of last year's worst teams, both making the postseason. But what jumps off the page in this Wild Card round is that only one home team (Arizona) is considered a favorite.

Without going into prolonged detail, here are the FPS expert prediction for the 2009 NFL playoffs.

WILD CARD WEEKEND

DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

SUPER BOWL CHAMPION

Emotional ending to '08

We've turned the over the calendars and officially waved goodbye to one of the best sports year's in recent memory. From David Tyree's catch to Tiger's determination and Michael Phelps drama in Beijing, it will be hard to surpass the achievements and memorable moments from 2008.

So is it time to cry? Here's one experts opinion.

Personally, I disagree, but sometimes showing some emotion can be a good thing.

Have a Happy, Fun New Year!