***PICKS ARE IN ITALICS***
Martin Lewis' Picks:
EagleBank Bowl
Wake Forest vs. Navy
New Mexico
Colorado State vs. Fresno State
magicJack St. Petersburg
Memphis vs. South Florida
Pioneer Las Vegas
BYU vs. Arizona
R+L Carriers New Orleans
Southern Miss vs. Troy
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia
Boise State vs. TCU
Sheraton Hawaii
Hawaii vs. Notre Dame
Motor City
Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan
Meineke Car Care
West Virginia vs. North Carolina
Champs Sports
Wisconsin vs. Florida State
Emerald
Miami (Fla.) vs. California
Independence
Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech
Papajohns.com
NC State vs. Rutgers
Valero Alamo
Missouri vs. Northwestern
Roady's Humanitarian
Maryland vs. Nevada
Texas
Rice vs. Western Michigan
Pacific Life Holiday
Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
Houston vs. Air Force
Brut Sun
Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh
Gaylord Hotels Music City
Boston College vs. Vanderbilt
Insight
Kansas vs. Minnesota
Chick-fil-A
LSU vs. Georgia Tech
Outback
South Carolina vs. Iowa
Capital One
Georgia vs. Michigan State
Konica Minolta Gator
Clemson vs. Nebraska
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi
Penn State vs. USC
FedEx Orange
Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
AT&T Cotton
Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech
AutoZone Liberty
Kentucky vs. East Carolina
Allstate Sugar
Utah vs. Alabama
International
Buffalo vs. Connecticut
Tostitos Fiesta
Ohio State vs. Texas
GMAC
Tulsa vs. Ball State
FedEx BCS National Championship Game
Florida vs. Oklahoma
Chris Barfield's Picks:
EagleBank Bowl
Wake Forest vs. Navy
New Mexico
Colorado State vs. Fresno State
magicJack St. Petersburg
Memphis vs. South Florida
Pioneer Las Vegas
BYU vs. Arizona
R+L Carriers New Orleans
Southern Miss vs. Troy
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia
Boise State vs. TCU
Sheraton Hawaii
Hawaii vs. Notre Dame
Motor City
Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan
Meineke Car Care
West Virginia vs. North Carolina
Champs Sports
Wisconsin vs. Florida State
Emerald
Miami (Fla.) vs. California
Independence
Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech
Papajohns.com
NC State vs. Rutgers
Valero Alamo
Missouri vs. Northwestern
Roady's Humanitarian
Maryland vs. Nevada
Texas
Rice vs. Western Michigan
Pacific Life Holiday
Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
Houston vs. Air Force
Brut Sun
Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh
Gaylord Hotels Music City
Boston College vs. Vanderbilt
Insight
Kansas vs. Minnesota
Chick-fil-A
LSU vs. Georgia Tech
Outback
South Carolina vs. Iowa
Capital One
Georgia vs. Michigan State
Konica Minolta Gator
Clemson vs. Nebraska
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi
Penn State vs. USC
FedEx Orange
Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
AT&T Cotton
Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech
AutoZone Liberty
Kentucky vs. East Carolina
Allstate Sugar
Utah vs. Alabama
International
Buffalo vs. Connecticut
Tostitos Fiesta
Ohio State vs. Texas
GMAC
Tulsa vs. Ball State
FedEx BCS National Championship Game
Florida vs. Oklahoma
Monday, December 8, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
"5 Questions Heading Into the 2008 World Series"
2008’s World Series isn’t one that has a great deal of sex appeal, if you can apply that term to baseball. We won’t get to see Manny Ramirez return to Boston on the biggest stage in sports, nor will we see former Yankees' manager Joe Torre lead another team against his nemesis Red Sox. Indeed, this series is a ratings disaster. However, there’s no doubt that the Rays and the Phillies are the best teams from their respective leagues. Both teams belong where they are, they’ve proven that. It will be exciting to see new, young faces in brand new places. The series will be a showcase of two powerhouse teams that will each be putting on display the innovative faces to the league that have boosted each organization to the top of the baseball world. Get your cowbells ringing and your white towels spinning, be prepared to see the catwalks of Tropicana Field come into play, and be ready to see home-runs blasted over the short porches of Citizens Bank Park. It’s going to be a fun series to watch, despite it being one that not too many fans rooted to see.
Here are five questions that are apparent heading into this series:
Brad Lidge: How good is the Phillies bullpen? Many have asked me this question. Well, I have an answer: it’s absolutely, positively, undoubtedly sensational. They truly are first-rate. I mean, after all, Philadelphia is 79-0 in games they led entering the ninth inning. Whose to credit for that? Brad Lidge. Lidge is yet to blow a save this season, including in the playoffs, and there’s nothing that indicates to me that he is going to blow one in the World Series. His hard, down-breaking slider is virtually unhittable, and the bridge to Lidge is hard to burn down with Ryan Madsen, Chad Durbin and J.C. Romero.
The constant of nearly every World Champion over the last 20 years is a good bullpen. We recall the most recent champions of 2004 and 2007, Boston teams which featured Jonathan Papelbon, who has never allowed a run in his postseason career. The New York Yankees, champions in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000, showcased the best closer of today's generation, Mariano Rivera. Also, we can go even farther back to bring up Toronto’s duo of Duane Ward and Tom Henke, the Cincinnati Reds’ “Nasty Boys,” and even La Russa’s 1989 A’s, who were unbeatable when Dennis Eckersley was brought in. The Rays showed some weakness in the ALCS, but David Price’s two-inning save in Game 7 is a hint that the Phillies might see more of him.
B.J. Upton: Where in the world has all this power come from by the Rays? Previous to the ALCS, they had never hit 10 home-runs in any three-game stretch in franchise history, then, they proceeded to do so against the Red Sox. The Rays finished tied for fourth in the American League in homers in 2008, but became the first team to hit at least three homers in three consecutive games in the postseason. They made it four straight in Game 5.
They did it with youth and health. B.J. Upton hit just nine round-trippers in the regular season, partly due to his bad shoulder. He basically didn’t pull a ball with authority for two months, yet, he tied Troy Glaus (2002) for the most home-runs by an American League player in one postseason (7). Evan Longoria missed a month with a wrist injury, but now he’s healthy and pounding baseballs over the walls. He is the youngest player to hit six home runs in one postseason. Carlos Pena missed a month due to injury. Now he’s healthy. With the three of them swinging hot bats, Tampa Bay set the record for most home runs in a single postseason series (16) with their performance in the ALCS. They’ll play the middle three games of the World Series in Philadelphia’s little band-box, Citizen’s Bank Park.
Carl Crawford: How fast are the Rays? I mean, honestly, how fast? They’re REALLY FAST. They started a defensive outfield in Game 4 of the ALCS with Carl Crawford in left, Upton in center, and Fernando Perez in right.
“Fastest outfield I’ve ever seen,” stated Rays’ coach Don Zimmer, who has been in the game of baseball for over 60 years.
The speed makes each player a steal-threat at almost any time. The Rays swiped 10 bases in 11 attempts during the ALCS. Perez helped win Game 2 by tagging up and scoring on a 180-foot fly ball just out of the infield. Also, their speed helps them on defense, one which just might be the best in baseball, especially in the infield. Jason Bartlett charges the ball as well as anyone in the league at shortstop and second-basemen Akinori Iwamura, in his first year at the position, turns the double-play as well as anyone in the league.
Ryan Howard: What about the 1-through-9 production by the Phillies? It sure is hard to believe that Philadelphia has won seven playoff games without a home run, and with only 3 RBI’s, by first-basemen Ryan Howard. He is without a doubt the streakiest hitter in the game today, but he may go wild in the World Series. However, to advance this far without big production numbers from Howard shows how great a team Philadelphia really is. In the NLCS, the Phillies had a different offensive hero every night.
Imagine what will happen if they get Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Pat Burrell going at the same time.
Matt Garza: Really, how good is the back-end of the Rays’ rotation? Well, plain and simple, it’s one of the best in baseball, which is crucial in a seven-game playoff series. Matt Garza, the Rays’ number 3 starter, was absolutely dominant and unhittable in Game 7 of the ALCS (he was good for seven innings, allowing only two hits while striking out nine). Garza tops out at 98 M.P.H. I don’t care who you are, that’s blazingly fast and it’s virtually unhittable when he locates the pitch correctly. Garza also features a fantastic slider in his repertoire. Andy Sonnanstine blanked the Red Sox for the first six innings in Game 4; he throws 87-89, but he has an amazing feel for the art of pitching.
Scott Kazmir could easily be the fourth-best starter, but he sure looked great in hurling six shut-out innings in Game 5. A 14-game winner in 2008, Edwin Jackson is the number 5 starter. That’s an unbelievably deep rotation, and it’s certainly deeper than that of the Phillies, given that Jaime Moyer has been hit hard in this postseason (first by the Brewers, and then by the Dodgers). However, Philadelphia possesses the best starter of either team in the World Series, ace Cole Hamels.
I originally predicted the Rays in 4, but after a much deeper look into the pitching matchups and incredible lineups both teams feature, I’ve changed my mind on that prediction, at least on the number of games that will be played.
Not to discount the Rays, but the Phillies look to have the better 1-through-9 lineup. However, that’s only if they can all stay consistent with one another. Sure, their bullpen is great, but their downfall lies in their starting rotation in the days following a Cole Hamels start. I do not expect Moyer, Joe Blanton, or Brett Myers to be successful in quieting the Rays. But can the Rays’ lineup keep producing like they have been this postseason? The answer to that question lies in how they tore apart the Red Sox excellent starting five. I’ve got news for you, the pitchers taking the mound for Philadelphia, with the exception of Cole Hamels, are nothing compared to the Red Sox's monster arms. If the Rays were able to do what they did against guys like Jon Lester and Josh Beckett, there’s no telling how hard they are going to hit the Phillies’ guys they have in their rotation. The key for Tampa Bay will be to score runs early and often. I expect the Phillies to put on an offensive display at some point in the series, but, for the most part, the Rays’ deep rotation shouldn’t allow an excessive amount of hits or runs too often. Pitching, as it usually is in the postseason, is the biggest key for both teams heading into the series.
Here are the expected pitching matchups for the first four games of this World Series:
Game 1: Phillies (Cole Hamels) @ Rays (Scott Kazmir)
Game 2: Phillies (Brett Myers) @ Rays (James Shields)
Game 3: Rays (Matt Garza) @ Phillies (Jaime Moyer)
Game 4: Rays (Andy Sonnanstine) @ Phillies (Joe Blanton)
To me, the Rays looked to be the strongest team coming into October, that’s why I had them in an easy 4 over Philadelphia. But, after the Red Sox came storming back from down 3 games to 1 to square up the ALCS, I, like everyone else, came to wondering how good the Rays actually are.
Was it purely Red Sox magic all over again that led to the Rays blowing that seven-run lead and the series lead overall, or, was it a showing of the only way the Rays can be beat? I seem to lean towards the fact that it was Red Sox magic once again, especially after witnessing Boston miraculously and heroically come from behind on countless occasions in the postseason over the last decade. Yet, there is one fact that is for sure: to beat the Rays, you’ve got to score many runs often. I don’t believe the Phillies can do such a thing against Tampa Bay’s deep rotation. However, I do believe we are going to see a much better World Series than what many people, myself included, had originally thought.
My NEW prediction: Rays in 6.
-Chris Barfield
Here are five questions that are apparent heading into this series:
Brad Lidge: How good is the Phillies bullpen? Many have asked me this question. Well, I have an answer: it’s absolutely, positively, undoubtedly sensational. They truly are first-rate. I mean, after all, Philadelphia is 79-0 in games they led entering the ninth inning. Whose to credit for that? Brad Lidge. Lidge is yet to blow a save this season, including in the playoffs, and there’s nothing that indicates to me that he is going to blow one in the World Series. His hard, down-breaking slider is virtually unhittable, and the bridge to Lidge is hard to burn down with Ryan Madsen, Chad Durbin and J.C. Romero.
The constant of nearly every World Champion over the last 20 years is a good bullpen. We recall the most recent champions of 2004 and 2007, Boston teams which featured Jonathan Papelbon, who has never allowed a run in his postseason career. The New York Yankees, champions in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000, showcased the best closer of today's generation, Mariano Rivera. Also, we can go even farther back to bring up Toronto’s duo of Duane Ward and Tom Henke, the Cincinnati Reds’ “Nasty Boys,” and even La Russa’s 1989 A’s, who were unbeatable when Dennis Eckersley was brought in. The Rays showed some weakness in the ALCS, but David Price’s two-inning save in Game 7 is a hint that the Phillies might see more of him.
B.J. Upton: Where in the world has all this power come from by the Rays? Previous to the ALCS, they had never hit 10 home-runs in any three-game stretch in franchise history, then, they proceeded to do so against the Red Sox. The Rays finished tied for fourth in the American League in homers in 2008, but became the first team to hit at least three homers in three consecutive games in the postseason. They made it four straight in Game 5.
They did it with youth and health. B.J. Upton hit just nine round-trippers in the regular season, partly due to his bad shoulder. He basically didn’t pull a ball with authority for two months, yet, he tied Troy Glaus (2002) for the most home-runs by an American League player in one postseason (7). Evan Longoria missed a month with a wrist injury, but now he’s healthy and pounding baseballs over the walls. He is the youngest player to hit six home runs in one postseason. Carlos Pena missed a month due to injury. Now he’s healthy. With the three of them swinging hot bats, Tampa Bay set the record for most home runs in a single postseason series (16) with their performance in the ALCS. They’ll play the middle three games of the World Series in Philadelphia’s little band-box, Citizen’s Bank Park.
Carl Crawford: How fast are the Rays? I mean, honestly, how fast? They’re REALLY FAST. They started a defensive outfield in Game 4 of the ALCS with Carl Crawford in left, Upton in center, and Fernando Perez in right.
“Fastest outfield I’ve ever seen,” stated Rays’ coach Don Zimmer, who has been in the game of baseball for over 60 years.
The speed makes each player a steal-threat at almost any time. The Rays swiped 10 bases in 11 attempts during the ALCS. Perez helped win Game 2 by tagging up and scoring on a 180-foot fly ball just out of the infield. Also, their speed helps them on defense, one which just might be the best in baseball, especially in the infield. Jason Bartlett charges the ball as well as anyone in the league at shortstop and second-basemen Akinori Iwamura, in his first year at the position, turns the double-play as well as anyone in the league.
Ryan Howard: What about the 1-through-9 production by the Phillies? It sure is hard to believe that Philadelphia has won seven playoff games without a home run, and with only 3 RBI’s, by first-basemen Ryan Howard. He is without a doubt the streakiest hitter in the game today, but he may go wild in the World Series. However, to advance this far without big production numbers from Howard shows how great a team Philadelphia really is. In the NLCS, the Phillies had a different offensive hero every night.
Imagine what will happen if they get Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Pat Burrell going at the same time.
Matt Garza: Really, how good is the back-end of the Rays’ rotation? Well, plain and simple, it’s one of the best in baseball, which is crucial in a seven-game playoff series. Matt Garza, the Rays’ number 3 starter, was absolutely dominant and unhittable in Game 7 of the ALCS (he was good for seven innings, allowing only two hits while striking out nine). Garza tops out at 98 M.P.H. I don’t care who you are, that’s blazingly fast and it’s virtually unhittable when he locates the pitch correctly. Garza also features a fantastic slider in his repertoire. Andy Sonnanstine blanked the Red Sox for the first six innings in Game 4; he throws 87-89, but he has an amazing feel for the art of pitching.
Scott Kazmir could easily be the fourth-best starter, but he sure looked great in hurling six shut-out innings in Game 5. A 14-game winner in 2008, Edwin Jackson is the number 5 starter. That’s an unbelievably deep rotation, and it’s certainly deeper than that of the Phillies, given that Jaime Moyer has been hit hard in this postseason (first by the Brewers, and then by the Dodgers). However, Philadelphia possesses the best starter of either team in the World Series, ace Cole Hamels.
I originally predicted the Rays in 4, but after a much deeper look into the pitching matchups and incredible lineups both teams feature, I’ve changed my mind on that prediction, at least on the number of games that will be played.
Not to discount the Rays, but the Phillies look to have the better 1-through-9 lineup. However, that’s only if they can all stay consistent with one another. Sure, their bullpen is great, but their downfall lies in their starting rotation in the days following a Cole Hamels start. I do not expect Moyer, Joe Blanton, or Brett Myers to be successful in quieting the Rays. But can the Rays’ lineup keep producing like they have been this postseason? The answer to that question lies in how they tore apart the Red Sox excellent starting five. I’ve got news for you, the pitchers taking the mound for Philadelphia, with the exception of Cole Hamels, are nothing compared to the Red Sox's monster arms. If the Rays were able to do what they did against guys like Jon Lester and Josh Beckett, there’s no telling how hard they are going to hit the Phillies’ guys they have in their rotation. The key for Tampa Bay will be to score runs early and often. I expect the Phillies to put on an offensive display at some point in the series, but, for the most part, the Rays’ deep rotation shouldn’t allow an excessive amount of hits or runs too often. Pitching, as it usually is in the postseason, is the biggest key for both teams heading into the series.
Here are the expected pitching matchups for the first four games of this World Series:
Game 1: Phillies (Cole Hamels) @ Rays (Scott Kazmir)
Game 2: Phillies (Brett Myers) @ Rays (James Shields)
Game 3: Rays (Matt Garza) @ Phillies (Jaime Moyer)
Game 4: Rays (Andy Sonnanstine) @ Phillies (Joe Blanton)
To me, the Rays looked to be the strongest team coming into October, that’s why I had them in an easy 4 over Philadelphia. But, after the Red Sox came storming back from down 3 games to 1 to square up the ALCS, I, like everyone else, came to wondering how good the Rays actually are.
Was it purely Red Sox magic all over again that led to the Rays blowing that seven-run lead and the series lead overall, or, was it a showing of the only way the Rays can be beat? I seem to lean towards the fact that it was Red Sox magic once again, especially after witnessing Boston miraculously and heroically come from behind on countless occasions in the postseason over the last decade. Yet, there is one fact that is for sure: to beat the Rays, you’ve got to score many runs often. I don’t believe the Phillies can do such a thing against Tampa Bay’s deep rotation. However, I do believe we are going to see a much better World Series than what many people, myself included, had originally thought.
My NEW prediction: Rays in 6.
-Chris Barfield
Monday, October 20, 2008
"Major League Baseball Playoffs: Is There a Better Way?"
Being that it is October and the postseason of Major League Baseball is currently in progress, I thought that I’d devote a few moments of my time to share my thoughts with all of you about some alternative ways Major League Baseball could use, or has used, to promote a great postseason experience for everyone. I firmly believe there are a number of scenarios that could improve the game. I’m going to share three of those scenarios with you, and also, I’ll be sharing some pros and cons of each scenario. You may also learn some history and facts about Major League Baseball that you may not have already known previous to reading this post.
First, let’s discuss Major League Baseball’s current postseason format.
Right now, Major League Baseball operates under the new “Divisional Play Rules,” which, when restructured following the 1994 player strike, state that there are to be three divisions in each league, the East, West and Central Divisions. The team with the best win-loss record in each division after the regular season ends will compete in the playoffs, and one Wild Card team (the team in each league with the best win-loss record out of all the teams who did not win a Division Title) will compete in the playoffs. The current MLB playoffs consist of a Divisional Series (best-of-five games), a League Championship Series (best-of-seven games) and World Series (best-of-seven games). Typically, the #1 seed (Division Champion with the best regular season record) plays the #4 seed (Wild Card) and the #2 seed (Division Champion with the 2nd best record) plays the #3 seed (Division Champion with the 3rd best record) in the initial, Divisional Series. Four total Divisional Series take place, two in each league. The winners of each Divisional Series will compete with each other in their corresponding league’s Championship Series. Two total League Championship Series will take place, one in each league. The winner of each series is crowned as either National League Champions or as American League Champions, depending on the league in which they compete. Each will represent their respective league in the World Series. The winner of the World Series is crowned as the World Champion of Baseball.
Your probably also wondering how Major League Baseball determines which teams will host certain games of each series, and how many games each team will host. Home-field advantage is based strictly on regular season records, but this only holds true in the Divisional Series and the League Championship Series. The #1 seed in each league entering the playoffs has clinched home-field advantage for their entire league playoffs. If the #1 seed is eliminated following Divisional Series play, the team with the next best record who is not a Wild Card will hold home-field advantage for the League Championship Series. A Wild Card team can NEVER hold home-field advantage during league playoffs. Usually, teams in each Divisional Series follow a 2-2-1 format (the team with home-field advantage hosts the first two games and, if necessary, the final game of the series), but this can vary depending on the length of the series that the top seeded team chooses to play (the top seeded team of each series can decide on the length of over how many days the games of the series take place). For example, the top seed can choose to have the series played over a total of 5 games in 6 days or a total of 5 games in 8 days. This choice could ultimately change the format of the series, which is at Major League Baseball’s discretion. The League Championship Series ALWAYS follows a 2-3-2 format (team with home-field advantage hosts the first two games, and, if necessary, the final two games.) The length of over how many days the series is played and, also, which days the teams do not play is decided by Major League Baseball. Again, the team with the best regular season record who is not a Wild Card will hold home-field advantage for the LCS.
The topic of home-field advantage in the World Series has become one of the most hotly debated issues in the sports world. Previous to 2003, the two teams competing in the Fall Classic decided who held home-field advantage based on who had the best regular season record. This was soon dramatically changed. Following 2002, Major League Baseball, and Commissioner Bud Selig, ruled that the All-Star Game each July would determine which league would hold home-field advantage in the World Series each October. This was, in large part, due to the All-Star Game disaster that took place in July 2002. During that game, which was held at Miller Park in Milwaukee, both mangers approached Commissioner Selig during the 7th inning and informed him that they were both out of players. Selig ruled that the game would end, right then, in a tie. In my opinion, Commissioner Selig had no other choice. Had he kept the game going, players would have been at an increased risk for injury and pitchers would have been overthrown, affecting their respective team’s strategy in the weeks following the All-Star Game. This decision resulted in much criticism from the press, players, and fans. Baseball had to do something to prevent this occurrence from ever happening again. So, the Commissioner, owners, board members, and MLB Player’s Association (MLBPA) heads got together to figure out a solution. The result: the All-Star game would determine home-field advantage each season for the World Series. The game was actually going to mean something more than just plain old bragging rights, and, in addition, extra players would be added to the rosters of each league’s team. This final decision resulted in even more criticism than that of the decision to end the game in a tie. I do not personally believe that making the game count was the best move, but that’s a topic for a future post. The All-Star Game was meant, simply, to be an exciting experience and a terrific opportunity for fans and players. People believed that Major League Baseball’s decision to make the game count demeaned the actual intentions the league had when it began the playing of the Summer Classic in 1933. (The All-Star Game began as a fun addition to the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois. It was the brainchild of The Chicago Tribune sports editor, Arch Ward. The game has grown into one of the most prolific events in professional sports. In the years following Major League Baseball’s acceptance of the infamous game, every single professional sport in America has followed with its own variation of an All-Star Game.)
Anyhow, the World Series ALWAYS follows the 2-3-2 format, and home-field advantage is decided based on the result of the All-Star Game. The league that wins the Summer Classic will give their league champion home-field advantage in the Fall Classic. The “Designated Hitter Rule” is in effect when playing at an American League park (the “DH rule” was initiated in 1973 by the American League as a solution to having a much lower attendance rate than their counterpart National League). The rule is another controversial one, and it is one that I absolutely despise. It contradicts the first rule in the book of baseball. Rule 1.1 (Official Major League Rulebook) states that “baseball is a game of two teams, each side consisting of a total of nine players.” When the “DH rule” is in effect, it is in direct violation of Rule 1.1. Again, the World Series is a best-of-seven game series. The first team to win four games is crowned as World Champion.
Now that you are familiar with the current Major League Baseball postseason setup, here are three other possible scenarios baseball could go with, or once had gone with:
Scenario #1, “The Purist’s Way”: Previous to 1969 (the season in which Divisional Play began), the team in each league with the best win-loss record after the regular season would meet in the only playoff series of the year, the World Series. There are no Divisional Series or League Championship Series played when using this format. This format was used from 1901 (the first season in which a World Series was held) to 1968 (the final season of non-Divisional play). Baseball purists are almost always advocates of this format, as it was the first format ever used to crown a champion between the two competing leagues. A TON of arguments can be used when debating whether or not this format was a useful one. First off, purists argue that having only one team make the playoffs from each league results in a much more exciting and competitive regular season. They argue that a Wild Card team has no place in the playoffs and that Wild Card teams are winning and competing in too many World Series because of the current postseason format. Purists also argue that this is the way Major League Baseball had intended when crowning a World Champion.
Because of the way in which money and economic status dominate the game in modern times, owners and investors of the game have a much more formidable argument as to why this format is no good: including more teams in the postseason will result in a greater amount of profits from ticket sales, advertisements, and other resources. With more teams participating in October baseball, there are more games being played. This directly results in much, much more money being made from ads in the stadium and through alternative viewing platforms (such as television, the internet, 3G devices, and Apple Inc.’s iPod), a greater number of tickets sold because there are more games being played, and much greater non-ticket profits from a variety of team merchandise, concession sales, and also via franchise bonuses from Major League Baseball. Also, with more teams in the postseason, more organizations are able to present their “product” (or team) to a wider variety of consumers. Instead of their game only being broadcasted regionally, team’s games are broadcast to the entire nation and to different parts of the world. This attracts newer fans in huge numbers, something every MLB organization is trying to accomplish in attempting to compete in the playoffs.
Purists cannot stand the argument of business and economics being brought into the conversation of the game. They believe that baseball was never about the money and, also, that baseball being promoted as such a big-time, big money-making business is demeaning to the game itself. In reality, professional baseball is all about making money. The game going professional was a business venture that investors used to reel in the big bucks, although most want to believe that the formation of Major League Baseball held other meanings. Once again, every professional sport, baseball included, is all about making money. That is why “The Purist’s Way” will never again be considered as a legitimate format for Major League Baseball playoffs.
Scenario #2, “The Pre-Divisional Series Format”: If more games being played can result in even higher profits, why not incorporate more games, more teams, and maybe a whole new series into the postseason? This type of scenario is one that is not usually discussed when debating alternative MLB playoff formats, however, I’m not sure why. After all, the three other major professional sports in America (NFL, NBA, and NHL) have all incorporated an extra playoff series (NBA and NHL) or an extra week of playoff games (NFL) into their league’s playoff formats. All three sports have done so in different variations, but based on the same profitable concept. All recognized that a significant amount of money could be made by expanding on their sport’s playoff format. This theory has worked out exceptionally well for each sport, and it has resulted, not only in the expansion of each respective sport, but, in a profit increase for each team competing, as well as a profit increase for each individual league. This scenario also gives more teams more opportunities to get involved in the postseason. The greater probability of making the playoffs excites most fans and tends to encourage more fans to frequently follow up on how their favorite team is doing. If a team has fans that believe their team has a chance, those fans are going to come to the games more often. They may also tune into alternative viewing platforms, which could result in higher profits via advertisements.
Purists argue that allowing more teams into the postseason, once again, results in a much less competitive regular season. They also argue that when you allow too many teams into the playoffs, there will be significant numbers of sub-par teams that do not belong. The purists that buy into the concept of baseball as a business say that fans will not turn out to as many regular season games, believing the season is less competitive and far less important when you allow more teams into the playoffs. Purists deny that this scenario would be effective when considering baseball, although most purists intensely reject change to the game itself. There are many examples that lead me to believe that this scenario might actually work and be good for baseball.
The National Basketball Association is a prime example of this scenario being put to good use. The NBA decided, just recently, to incorporate an extra playoff series into their postseason format. The league came together and came up with the idea to add Conference Quarterfinals to the postseason. This decision resulted in a total of four extra teams from around the league being able to compete in the NBA’s playoffs each and every year. The decision to expand on their playoff format has led to good results for the NBA and for the game of basketball. Not only is more money being made, but the league is attracting a significant amount of new basketball fans. Take China for example. There are now an estimated 300 million basketball fans there now. That’s the entire United States population! The growth of the booming NBA market can be linked to the idea of expanding the playoffs. Of all major basketball broadcasts in China, over 60 percent are related to the NBA postseason. Generating millions of new fans provides a much larger consumer base that the league and its teams can profit from and draw upon. When new markets are created, there are millions upon billions of dollars of profit that have just been created as well.
Let’s also not forget how exciting the new NBA playoffs have become. The NBA playoffs provide some of the most improbable, stunning and exciting games of the year in sports. I’d also like to point out that having longer playoffs may also weed out the teams that do not belong. An NBA team must win a total of 16 games over four best-of-seven playoff series. Winning that consistently is what separates the good teams from the great teams, and it may also result in the sub-par teams eventually being eliminated. In a long playoff format, teams must prove themselves. This is the answer to the purist’s belief that too many sub-par teams are let in via this scenario.
NBA playoff series, as well as NHL playoff series, all consist of best-of-seven game formats. This brings us to our next type of scenario.
Scenario #3, “The Seven Game Divisional Series”: For the last decade, ever since the institution of the Divisional Series, people have been arguing over the length of the five-game playoff. They want to know why the series is so short and why it’s not the same length as the other two MLB postseason series that are now in effect. The only answers to these questions that I can provide is that the series is so short due to Major League Baseball and the MLBPA being iffy when finalizing the decision to expand with a Divisional Series. At the time this decision was made, the process of purifying the game of baseball was at a high point and was, you could say, on Major League Baseball’s “to-do list.” You may not believe this fact because of the amount of change that took place following the 1994 player strike. But just take into consideration that the idea of keeping the game pure may have been on the minds of people who factored into making the final decision to change the playoff format. These people of Major League Baseball faced the daunting task of trying to devise a plan to increase profits as a direct result of the players demanding higher wages. This, while trying not to upset baseball fans by enforcing too much change. Before the players declared a strike, fans were horrified by the thought that baseball may never again be the same. Major League Baseball knew this. They had to find a way to keep everyone happy. They did not want to over-expand the postseason, so they increased the number of games that would be played in the League Championship Series and equaled the number of games played in the Divisional Series to that of the League Championship Series from 1969 to 1993. By doing such a thing, Major League Baseball felt they had found a way to sufficiently increase profits while not interfering too much with the pureness of the game. (I’m still unable to answer why the LCS was a short five games when that type of format was instituted in 1969. I can say that pre-World Series playoff series were a brand new concept to Major League Baseball at the time, and the pureness factor has to also be considered. Keeping the game pure had to be even more important to baseball then when compared to the 1994-95 format changes. The postseason had been virtually the same for nearly 68 years up to that point, except for the change in the length of the World Series from nine games to seven games in 1920. At the time when playoff format was changed and expanded for the first time ever, changes in season routines were unheard of, as well as unwanted. Baseball had to do whatever it could as to not affect the routine too much, just like in 1994-95.)
Now that the acceptance of the current MLB postseason format has taken full effect, why not match the idea of the other major professional sports by making the number of games played in each series an equal one? Most believe that five games are not currently enough to decide on a series victor. I, for one, believe that the five-game Divisional Series has resulted in way too many Wild Card teams winning the World Series or, for that matter, even competing in the World Series. Remember the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals? That team won a total of 83 games in the regular season. 83 games! What a pitiful win percentage for a playoff team (.512). They entered the postseason as the #4 seeded Wild Card team in the National League and they proceeded to become World Champions. If you look at their performance in the Divisional Series, you might think that if there had been an extra two games added to the series (meaning the organization would have had to win one more game), the Cardinals would not have advanced. This concept can be applied to several teams playing in the Divisional Series since 1995. Adding two extra games to the Divisional Series may quiet the baseball purists who are against the outrageous number of Wild Card teams getting into and winning the World Series. Also, adding two more games would, again, increase profits, although not by much as it is just two more games in a series.
The facts are that while the game of baseball itself and the way the game is played have so greatly evolved, the players, owners, league, and fans have all resisted other changes that have been imposed upon the game.
There are many who love the game because of its spontaneity, and then, there are many who love the game for its immortal legends. There are some who hate baseball for what it has become, and there are some who hate baseball for what it once was. There are purists and then there are modernists, statisticians and enthusiasts. There are owners and there are managers. There are players, critics, and fans. There is umpiring and there is official scoring. There are organizations, franchises, associations, and teams from cities big and small. The game has seen rage from a fierce competitor who once beat a man in the stands who had no hands, it has seen a nation fall in love with the right arm of a cool-headed pitcher who preached spirituality, a man who was so adored that his hometown now devotes an entire holiday in his honor. It has seen two best-friends from different walks of life put on a home-run display unlike any other, only for that summer to soon be forgotten because of the two men’s appearances in front of grand juries in order to explain their alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. The game saw a nation provide no appreciation for a man they all hated, a man who broke the most hallowed record in all of sports. The hate was all because they believed he used drugs to alter his performance.
Baseball is a game that saw a 1922 Supreme Court ruling be upheld, a ruling that stated the game was, somehow, not interstate commerce, thus, baseball became the first business to be exempt from a group of laws that no business had, or has, ever beat. It also saw a group of eight men, “Black Sox” if you will, have to appear in court because they were believed to having accepted money to throw the 1919 World Series. The game has seen a player hit a home run to win a World Series just twice, both times a feat that lifted the respective cities to the top of the sporting world. It has seen a team win a World Championship an unprecedented 26 times, watched another team win its first World Championship in over 86 years, and it has witnessed one team suffer a miserable 100 years, and counting, without winning a single World Championship for themselves or for their beloved city. The game saw a team fall behind three games to none in a League Championship Series, only to come storming back and win the series in seven games, a feat never before accomplished. Baseball twice has seen a team finish with the worst record in the league one season, and then finish with the best record in the league the following season. Baseball has seen just three men hit over 700 home runs, one of which became the face of baseball forever as he captured the essence of an ever-changing sport. He was a man who helped a country forget about its greatest economic demise with only the crack of his bat.
The game of baseball has seen the good and the bad. However, it is a game that can never be matched. It is a game that has defined a country through thick and thin, and it is a game people turned to when they needed more than help. It is the only game in which its legends will be forever immortalized for what they did on the field, and often times, for what they did off of it. Perhaps the postseason format that baseball decides upon will never again change, and maybe it doesn’t even make a difference. Whatever happens, we will always know that the game’s history is written with every pitch, and, we hope that the game will be there for us when we face darker times; we hope it is there for us just as it has been for the last 150 years. We hope when we do have trouble in life there will be something we can turn to, and we hope that answer will be the game of baseball.
Baseball may just be a game, but it’s a game that has held a special place in the hearts of billions of people ever since its creation. Baseball is unlike anything else we know of. For that reason, the game and the sport's significance will never be compared to anything else, ever.
-Chris Barfield
First, let’s discuss Major League Baseball’s current postseason format.
Right now, Major League Baseball operates under the new “Divisional Play Rules,” which, when restructured following the 1994 player strike, state that there are to be three divisions in each league, the East, West and Central Divisions. The team with the best win-loss record in each division after the regular season ends will compete in the playoffs, and one Wild Card team (the team in each league with the best win-loss record out of all the teams who did not win a Division Title) will compete in the playoffs. The current MLB playoffs consist of a Divisional Series (best-of-five games), a League Championship Series (best-of-seven games) and World Series (best-of-seven games). Typically, the #1 seed (Division Champion with the best regular season record) plays the #4 seed (Wild Card) and the #2 seed (Division Champion with the 2nd best record) plays the #3 seed (Division Champion with the 3rd best record) in the initial, Divisional Series. Four total Divisional Series take place, two in each league. The winners of each Divisional Series will compete with each other in their corresponding league’s Championship Series. Two total League Championship Series will take place, one in each league. The winner of each series is crowned as either National League Champions or as American League Champions, depending on the league in which they compete. Each will represent their respective league in the World Series. The winner of the World Series is crowned as the World Champion of Baseball.
Your probably also wondering how Major League Baseball determines which teams will host certain games of each series, and how many games each team will host. Home-field advantage is based strictly on regular season records, but this only holds true in the Divisional Series and the League Championship Series. The #1 seed in each league entering the playoffs has clinched home-field advantage for their entire league playoffs. If the #1 seed is eliminated following Divisional Series play, the team with the next best record who is not a Wild Card will hold home-field advantage for the League Championship Series. A Wild Card team can NEVER hold home-field advantage during league playoffs. Usually, teams in each Divisional Series follow a 2-2-1 format (the team with home-field advantage hosts the first two games and, if necessary, the final game of the series), but this can vary depending on the length of the series that the top seeded team chooses to play (the top seeded team of each series can decide on the length of over how many days the games of the series take place). For example, the top seed can choose to have the series played over a total of 5 games in 6 days or a total of 5 games in 8 days. This choice could ultimately change the format of the series, which is at Major League Baseball’s discretion. The League Championship Series ALWAYS follows a 2-3-2 format (team with home-field advantage hosts the first two games, and, if necessary, the final two games.) The length of over how many days the series is played and, also, which days the teams do not play is decided by Major League Baseball. Again, the team with the best regular season record who is not a Wild Card will hold home-field advantage for the LCS.
The topic of home-field advantage in the World Series has become one of the most hotly debated issues in the sports world. Previous to 2003, the two teams competing in the Fall Classic decided who held home-field advantage based on who had the best regular season record. This was soon dramatically changed. Following 2002, Major League Baseball, and Commissioner Bud Selig, ruled that the All-Star Game each July would determine which league would hold home-field advantage in the World Series each October. This was, in large part, due to the All-Star Game disaster that took place in July 2002. During that game, which was held at Miller Park in Milwaukee, both mangers approached Commissioner Selig during the 7th inning and informed him that they were both out of players. Selig ruled that the game would end, right then, in a tie. In my opinion, Commissioner Selig had no other choice. Had he kept the game going, players would have been at an increased risk for injury and pitchers would have been overthrown, affecting their respective team’s strategy in the weeks following the All-Star Game. This decision resulted in much criticism from the press, players, and fans. Baseball had to do something to prevent this occurrence from ever happening again. So, the Commissioner, owners, board members, and MLB Player’s Association (MLBPA) heads got together to figure out a solution. The result: the All-Star game would determine home-field advantage each season for the World Series. The game was actually going to mean something more than just plain old bragging rights, and, in addition, extra players would be added to the rosters of each league’s team. This final decision resulted in even more criticism than that of the decision to end the game in a tie. I do not personally believe that making the game count was the best move, but that’s a topic for a future post. The All-Star Game was meant, simply, to be an exciting experience and a terrific opportunity for fans and players. People believed that Major League Baseball’s decision to make the game count demeaned the actual intentions the league had when it began the playing of the Summer Classic in 1933. (The All-Star Game began as a fun addition to the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois. It was the brainchild of The Chicago Tribune sports editor, Arch Ward. The game has grown into one of the most prolific events in professional sports. In the years following Major League Baseball’s acceptance of the infamous game, every single professional sport in America has followed with its own variation of an All-Star Game.)
Anyhow, the World Series ALWAYS follows the 2-3-2 format, and home-field advantage is decided based on the result of the All-Star Game. The league that wins the Summer Classic will give their league champion home-field advantage in the Fall Classic. The “Designated Hitter Rule” is in effect when playing at an American League park (the “DH rule” was initiated in 1973 by the American League as a solution to having a much lower attendance rate than their counterpart National League). The rule is another controversial one, and it is one that I absolutely despise. It contradicts the first rule in the book of baseball. Rule 1.1 (Official Major League Rulebook) states that “baseball is a game of two teams, each side consisting of a total of nine players.” When the “DH rule” is in effect, it is in direct violation of Rule 1.1. Again, the World Series is a best-of-seven game series. The first team to win four games is crowned as World Champion.
Now that you are familiar with the current Major League Baseball postseason setup, here are three other possible scenarios baseball could go with, or once had gone with:
Scenario #1, “The Purist’s Way”: Previous to 1969 (the season in which Divisional Play began), the team in each league with the best win-loss record after the regular season would meet in the only playoff series of the year, the World Series. There are no Divisional Series or League Championship Series played when using this format. This format was used from 1901 (the first season in which a World Series was held) to 1968 (the final season of non-Divisional play). Baseball purists are almost always advocates of this format, as it was the first format ever used to crown a champion between the two competing leagues. A TON of arguments can be used when debating whether or not this format was a useful one. First off, purists argue that having only one team make the playoffs from each league results in a much more exciting and competitive regular season. They argue that a Wild Card team has no place in the playoffs and that Wild Card teams are winning and competing in too many World Series because of the current postseason format. Purists also argue that this is the way Major League Baseball had intended when crowning a World Champion.
Because of the way in which money and economic status dominate the game in modern times, owners and investors of the game have a much more formidable argument as to why this format is no good: including more teams in the postseason will result in a greater amount of profits from ticket sales, advertisements, and other resources. With more teams participating in October baseball, there are more games being played. This directly results in much, much more money being made from ads in the stadium and through alternative viewing platforms (such as television, the internet, 3G devices, and Apple Inc.’s iPod), a greater number of tickets sold because there are more games being played, and much greater non-ticket profits from a variety of team merchandise, concession sales, and also via franchise bonuses from Major League Baseball. Also, with more teams in the postseason, more organizations are able to present their “product” (or team) to a wider variety of consumers. Instead of their game only being broadcasted regionally, team’s games are broadcast to the entire nation and to different parts of the world. This attracts newer fans in huge numbers, something every MLB organization is trying to accomplish in attempting to compete in the playoffs.
Purists cannot stand the argument of business and economics being brought into the conversation of the game. They believe that baseball was never about the money and, also, that baseball being promoted as such a big-time, big money-making business is demeaning to the game itself. In reality, professional baseball is all about making money. The game going professional was a business venture that investors used to reel in the big bucks, although most want to believe that the formation of Major League Baseball held other meanings. Once again, every professional sport, baseball included, is all about making money. That is why “The Purist’s Way” will never again be considered as a legitimate format for Major League Baseball playoffs.
Scenario #2, “The Pre-Divisional Series Format”: If more games being played can result in even higher profits, why not incorporate more games, more teams, and maybe a whole new series into the postseason? This type of scenario is one that is not usually discussed when debating alternative MLB playoff formats, however, I’m not sure why. After all, the three other major professional sports in America (NFL, NBA, and NHL) have all incorporated an extra playoff series (NBA and NHL) or an extra week of playoff games (NFL) into their league’s playoff formats. All three sports have done so in different variations, but based on the same profitable concept. All recognized that a significant amount of money could be made by expanding on their sport’s playoff format. This theory has worked out exceptionally well for each sport, and it has resulted, not only in the expansion of each respective sport, but, in a profit increase for each team competing, as well as a profit increase for each individual league. This scenario also gives more teams more opportunities to get involved in the postseason. The greater probability of making the playoffs excites most fans and tends to encourage more fans to frequently follow up on how their favorite team is doing. If a team has fans that believe their team has a chance, those fans are going to come to the games more often. They may also tune into alternative viewing platforms, which could result in higher profits via advertisements.
Purists argue that allowing more teams into the postseason, once again, results in a much less competitive regular season. They also argue that when you allow too many teams into the playoffs, there will be significant numbers of sub-par teams that do not belong. The purists that buy into the concept of baseball as a business say that fans will not turn out to as many regular season games, believing the season is less competitive and far less important when you allow more teams into the playoffs. Purists deny that this scenario would be effective when considering baseball, although most purists intensely reject change to the game itself. There are many examples that lead me to believe that this scenario might actually work and be good for baseball.
The National Basketball Association is a prime example of this scenario being put to good use. The NBA decided, just recently, to incorporate an extra playoff series into their postseason format. The league came together and came up with the idea to add Conference Quarterfinals to the postseason. This decision resulted in a total of four extra teams from around the league being able to compete in the NBA’s playoffs each and every year. The decision to expand on their playoff format has led to good results for the NBA and for the game of basketball. Not only is more money being made, but the league is attracting a significant amount of new basketball fans. Take China for example. There are now an estimated 300 million basketball fans there now. That’s the entire United States population! The growth of the booming NBA market can be linked to the idea of expanding the playoffs. Of all major basketball broadcasts in China, over 60 percent are related to the NBA postseason. Generating millions of new fans provides a much larger consumer base that the league and its teams can profit from and draw upon. When new markets are created, there are millions upon billions of dollars of profit that have just been created as well.
Let’s also not forget how exciting the new NBA playoffs have become. The NBA playoffs provide some of the most improbable, stunning and exciting games of the year in sports. I’d also like to point out that having longer playoffs may also weed out the teams that do not belong. An NBA team must win a total of 16 games over four best-of-seven playoff series. Winning that consistently is what separates the good teams from the great teams, and it may also result in the sub-par teams eventually being eliminated. In a long playoff format, teams must prove themselves. This is the answer to the purist’s belief that too many sub-par teams are let in via this scenario.
NBA playoff series, as well as NHL playoff series, all consist of best-of-seven game formats. This brings us to our next type of scenario.
Scenario #3, “The Seven Game Divisional Series”: For the last decade, ever since the institution of the Divisional Series, people have been arguing over the length of the five-game playoff. They want to know why the series is so short and why it’s not the same length as the other two MLB postseason series that are now in effect. The only answers to these questions that I can provide is that the series is so short due to Major League Baseball and the MLBPA being iffy when finalizing the decision to expand with a Divisional Series. At the time this decision was made, the process of purifying the game of baseball was at a high point and was, you could say, on Major League Baseball’s “to-do list.” You may not believe this fact because of the amount of change that took place following the 1994 player strike. But just take into consideration that the idea of keeping the game pure may have been on the minds of people who factored into making the final decision to change the playoff format. These people of Major League Baseball faced the daunting task of trying to devise a plan to increase profits as a direct result of the players demanding higher wages. This, while trying not to upset baseball fans by enforcing too much change. Before the players declared a strike, fans were horrified by the thought that baseball may never again be the same. Major League Baseball knew this. They had to find a way to keep everyone happy. They did not want to over-expand the postseason, so they increased the number of games that would be played in the League Championship Series and equaled the number of games played in the Divisional Series to that of the League Championship Series from 1969 to 1993. By doing such a thing, Major League Baseball felt they had found a way to sufficiently increase profits while not interfering too much with the pureness of the game. (I’m still unable to answer why the LCS was a short five games when that type of format was instituted in 1969. I can say that pre-World Series playoff series were a brand new concept to Major League Baseball at the time, and the pureness factor has to also be considered. Keeping the game pure had to be even more important to baseball then when compared to the 1994-95 format changes. The postseason had been virtually the same for nearly 68 years up to that point, except for the change in the length of the World Series from nine games to seven games in 1920. At the time when playoff format was changed and expanded for the first time ever, changes in season routines were unheard of, as well as unwanted. Baseball had to do whatever it could as to not affect the routine too much, just like in 1994-95.)
Now that the acceptance of the current MLB postseason format has taken full effect, why not match the idea of the other major professional sports by making the number of games played in each series an equal one? Most believe that five games are not currently enough to decide on a series victor. I, for one, believe that the five-game Divisional Series has resulted in way too many Wild Card teams winning the World Series or, for that matter, even competing in the World Series. Remember the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals? That team won a total of 83 games in the regular season. 83 games! What a pitiful win percentage for a playoff team (.512). They entered the postseason as the #4 seeded Wild Card team in the National League and they proceeded to become World Champions. If you look at their performance in the Divisional Series, you might think that if there had been an extra two games added to the series (meaning the organization would have had to win one more game), the Cardinals would not have advanced. This concept can be applied to several teams playing in the Divisional Series since 1995. Adding two extra games to the Divisional Series may quiet the baseball purists who are against the outrageous number of Wild Card teams getting into and winning the World Series. Also, adding two more games would, again, increase profits, although not by much as it is just two more games in a series.
The facts are that while the game of baseball itself and the way the game is played have so greatly evolved, the players, owners, league, and fans have all resisted other changes that have been imposed upon the game.
There are many who love the game because of its spontaneity, and then, there are many who love the game for its immortal legends. There are some who hate baseball for what it has become, and there are some who hate baseball for what it once was. There are purists and then there are modernists, statisticians and enthusiasts. There are owners and there are managers. There are players, critics, and fans. There is umpiring and there is official scoring. There are organizations, franchises, associations, and teams from cities big and small. The game has seen rage from a fierce competitor who once beat a man in the stands who had no hands, it has seen a nation fall in love with the right arm of a cool-headed pitcher who preached spirituality, a man who was so adored that his hometown now devotes an entire holiday in his honor. It has seen two best-friends from different walks of life put on a home-run display unlike any other, only for that summer to soon be forgotten because of the two men’s appearances in front of grand juries in order to explain their alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. The game saw a nation provide no appreciation for a man they all hated, a man who broke the most hallowed record in all of sports. The hate was all because they believed he used drugs to alter his performance.
Baseball is a game that saw a 1922 Supreme Court ruling be upheld, a ruling that stated the game was, somehow, not interstate commerce, thus, baseball became the first business to be exempt from a group of laws that no business had, or has, ever beat. It also saw a group of eight men, “Black Sox” if you will, have to appear in court because they were believed to having accepted money to throw the 1919 World Series. The game has seen a player hit a home run to win a World Series just twice, both times a feat that lifted the respective cities to the top of the sporting world. It has seen a team win a World Championship an unprecedented 26 times, watched another team win its first World Championship in over 86 years, and it has witnessed one team suffer a miserable 100 years, and counting, without winning a single World Championship for themselves or for their beloved city. The game saw a team fall behind three games to none in a League Championship Series, only to come storming back and win the series in seven games, a feat never before accomplished. Baseball twice has seen a team finish with the worst record in the league one season, and then finish with the best record in the league the following season. Baseball has seen just three men hit over 700 home runs, one of which became the face of baseball forever as he captured the essence of an ever-changing sport. He was a man who helped a country forget about its greatest economic demise with only the crack of his bat.
The game of baseball has seen the good and the bad. However, it is a game that can never be matched. It is a game that has defined a country through thick and thin, and it is a game people turned to when they needed more than help. It is the only game in which its legends will be forever immortalized for what they did on the field, and often times, for what they did off of it. Perhaps the postseason format that baseball decides upon will never again change, and maybe it doesn’t even make a difference. Whatever happens, we will always know that the game’s history is written with every pitch, and, we hope that the game will be there for us when we face darker times; we hope it is there for us just as it has been for the last 150 years. We hope when we do have trouble in life there will be something we can turn to, and we hope that answer will be the game of baseball.
Baseball may just be a game, but it’s a game that has held a special place in the hearts of billions of people ever since its creation. Baseball is unlike anything else we know of. For that reason, the game and the sport's significance will never be compared to anything else, ever.
-Chris Barfield
Red Sox stage seven-run comeback, stay alive in ALCS
“It seemed over at 4-0, it was over at 5-0, and it was laughably over at 7-0.” – Tim Kurkjian, ESPN.
Thursday night, during Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, the Tampa Bay Rays blew a 7 run lead over the final two innings as the Boston Red Sox came storming back to survive one more day.
Fenway Park fell silent and fans began exiting the stadium once they believed their Red Sox were going to fall without a whimper.
Then, baseball’s comeback kings did it again.
The Red Sox, trailing by seven runs with seven outs left in their season, pulled off the biggest postseason comeback baseball has seen since 1929. Boston had staved off elimination with their 8-7 victory. J.D. Drew was the hero after his 9th inning double into left-field scored Kevin Youkilis, but you can safely say that the better half of the Red Sox lineup were all heroes in the game.
The comeback was the largest in an elimination game and the second largest in Major League Baseball postseason history.
The Red Sox have rallied back from a 3-1 series deficit twice this decade to win the pennant and then the World Series. They’ll now have a chance to do it an unprecedented third time in five years as the series is headed back to Tampa Bay and Tropicana Field for Game 6, and if necessary, Game 7.
The American League champion will face the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series beginning next Wednesday, October 22nd.
“There’s a lot of fight in that dugout,” J.D. Drew, the hero, stated. “A lot of guys knew that as soon as we got some runs on the board, we could get something going.”
The Boston rally began when Dustin Pedroia hit an RBI single proceeded by a David Ortiz three-run round-tripper off of Grant Balfour. Drew connected on a three-run blast in the eighth, and Coco Crisp tied it with a two-out RBI single off Dan Wheeler.
Boston has won eight consecutive games when facing elimination in the ALCS, an unfathomable statistic.
“It was pretty much the most amazing thing I’ve ever been a part of, to be down 7-0 in an elimination game and be able to come back,” Crisp said.
In the ninth, Kevin Youkilis reached on an infield single with two outs when he hit a sharp chopper to Evan Longoria and wound up on second base after the third-basemen made a great pick but an ill-advised throw that short-hopped Carlos Pena at first and bounced into the stands for an error.
Jason Bay was intentionally walked and Drew lined a ground-rule double off J.P. Howell over the outstretched glove of left-fielder Gabe Gross as Youkilis scored.
“Hopefully, there’ll be a time when we can sit back and think ‘This is what got us over the hump,’” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “But we’re still climbing.”
No team has repeated as World Series champion since the New York Yankees won three straight Fall Classics from 1998-2000. The Red Sox, certainly, still have a chance to do so.
Hall of Famer Yogi Berra’s infamous words hold true once again, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
The cowbells will be ringing, the tarps will be coming off the upper-deck seats to accommodate the Rays’ newly-found fans, and the catwalks will definitely be in play at Tropicana Field for another game.
We have ourselves a series, folks!!!
-Chris Barfield (with a special thank you to The Associated Press)
Thursday night, during Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, the Tampa Bay Rays blew a 7 run lead over the final two innings as the Boston Red Sox came storming back to survive one more day.
Fenway Park fell silent and fans began exiting the stadium once they believed their Red Sox were going to fall without a whimper.
Then, baseball’s comeback kings did it again.
The Red Sox, trailing by seven runs with seven outs left in their season, pulled off the biggest postseason comeback baseball has seen since 1929. Boston had staved off elimination with their 8-7 victory. J.D. Drew was the hero after his 9th inning double into left-field scored Kevin Youkilis, but you can safely say that the better half of the Red Sox lineup were all heroes in the game.
The comeback was the largest in an elimination game and the second largest in Major League Baseball postseason history.
The Red Sox have rallied back from a 3-1 series deficit twice this decade to win the pennant and then the World Series. They’ll now have a chance to do it an unprecedented third time in five years as the series is headed back to Tampa Bay and Tropicana Field for Game 6, and if necessary, Game 7.
The American League champion will face the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series beginning next Wednesday, October 22nd.
“There’s a lot of fight in that dugout,” J.D. Drew, the hero, stated. “A lot of guys knew that as soon as we got some runs on the board, we could get something going.”
The Boston rally began when Dustin Pedroia hit an RBI single proceeded by a David Ortiz three-run round-tripper off of Grant Balfour. Drew connected on a three-run blast in the eighth, and Coco Crisp tied it with a two-out RBI single off Dan Wheeler.
Boston has won eight consecutive games when facing elimination in the ALCS, an unfathomable statistic.
“It was pretty much the most amazing thing I’ve ever been a part of, to be down 7-0 in an elimination game and be able to come back,” Crisp said.
In the ninth, Kevin Youkilis reached on an infield single with two outs when he hit a sharp chopper to Evan Longoria and wound up on second base after the third-basemen made a great pick but an ill-advised throw that short-hopped Carlos Pena at first and bounced into the stands for an error.
Jason Bay was intentionally walked and Drew lined a ground-rule double off J.P. Howell over the outstretched glove of left-fielder Gabe Gross as Youkilis scored.
“Hopefully, there’ll be a time when we can sit back and think ‘This is what got us over the hump,’” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “But we’re still climbing.”
No team has repeated as World Series champion since the New York Yankees won three straight Fall Classics from 1998-2000. The Red Sox, certainly, still have a chance to do so.
Hall of Famer Yogi Berra’s infamous words hold true once again, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
The cowbells will be ringing, the tarps will be coming off the upper-deck seats to accommodate the Rays’ newly-found fans, and the catwalks will definitely be in play at Tropicana Field for another game.
We have ourselves a series, folks!!!
-Chris Barfield (with a special thank you to The Associated Press)
Phillies advance to World Series, Hamels named NLCS MVP
The Philadelphia Phillies, behind their ace Cole Hamels, finished off the Dodgers Wednesday night, winning the National League Championship Series.
The “Fightin’ Phills” plain and simply dominated the Los Angeles ball-club, winning games 1, 2, 4, and 5 to advance to their first World Series since 1993.
(I originally picked the Phillies to take this series in 6. It ended in 5, but as I stated, the series was a slugfest, at least as far as Philadelphia was concerned.)
Hamels was selected as the series MVP for his efforts. Not surprisingly, he wants more.
The remarkably young, 24-year-old left-hander improved to 3-0 in the postseason, allowing a run and five hits over seven innings with five strikeouts as the Phillies ended the Dodgers’ hopes with a 5-1 victory.
“To get an award like this is something surreal. This definitely has to go to the whole team right here. But it’s only a stepping stone,” Hamels said. “Being in that parade down Broad Street is what we all want. Getting a World Series ring and trophy is what really matters. Getting there is great, but winning it all is the best.”
No doubt.
In the series opener, Hamels gave up two runs and six hits over seven innings, but the Philadelphia offense came on strong, with home runs by Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, to beat Derek Lowe and the Dodgers 3-2. The Phillies offensive display over a couple of big innings that night was just a short preview of how they were going to dominate the rest of the series. However, first-baseman Ryan Howard did not produce too much more at the plate after that round-tripper in Game 1. Howard’s batting average throughout the NLCS slipped under the “Mendoza Line” (.200).
Despite a powerful Phillies’ offense, Hamels did not get much run support during the regular season. Philadelphia bats scored three runs or less in eight of his losses and were shut-out in three of them.
“Cole is a guy that sat around and would give up two runs in a game and get no-decisions and losses. I’m sure he got frustrated, but he never really got upset,” shortstop Jimmy Rollins stated, who led off game five with a home run off Chad Billingsley. “Every time I spoke with him he just said, ‘Well, next time.’ And then it came to a point where he’d say, ‘Forget next time, I want to do it now.’”
“Now it’s come all the way around for him,” Rollins added. “Runs that we weren’t getting for him in the season have been sufficient for him in the postseason.”
Hamels struck out 13 in 14 innings, and finished with a 1.93 ERA in the series. He located his fastball exceptionally well and kept hitters off balance with the deception of his change-up.
The lefty is the fourth Phillies player to win the NLCS MVP award, joining second-basemen Manny Trillo (1980), left-fielder Gary Matthews (1983), and right-handed pitcher Curt Schilling (1993).
Hamels will return to the mound Wednesday, as he is scheduled to start Game 1 of the World Series against the winner of the Red Sox/Rays series. The Rays hold a 3-2 lead over Boston with Game 6 taking place at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay Friday night.
The ALCS was thought to be over, especially after Tampa Bay built a 7-0 lead in Game 5 on Thursday night. However, Boston had other thoughts. The Red Sox scored 8 runs in the final two innings of the game to pull off the second largest comeback in postseason history and the biggest comeback in an elimination game in the postseason.
(I originally predicted the Rays to win in 7.)
Philadelphia hopes this World Series will go better than the last.
Recall the image of Toronto Blue Jays’ slugger Joe Carter hammering what he thought was a slider from Philly closer Mitch Williams over the left field wall of the Rogers Centre in the bottom of the ninth during Game 7 to win the ‘93 Fall Classic. It was just the second walk-off home run in Major League history to win a World Series (Bill Mazerowski’s blast against the Yankees in 1960 to give Pittsburgh the World Series title).
The home run led to the demise of Mitch Williams, who still insists that the pitch was a bad fastball.
Philadelphia fans didn’t care what pitch was thrown. Neither did Joe Carter. Williams has stayed outside a 100-mile radius of Philadelphia ever since that fateful evening.
If the Phillies can pull out four wins against their A.L. opponent, which would give Philadelphia its second World Series title, Mitch Williams would undoubtedly be forgiven. Just look at how Boston fans forgave Bill Buckner, as they invited him to be honored during a regular season game this season. They even let him throw out the first pitch. It was the first time Buckner stepped foot into Fenway Park in over 25 years. It was the first time he’d even visited the city of Boston in over 25 years!
I do expect the Phillies to have a tough go of things once again. (I predicted the Rays to defeat the Phillies in a four-game-sweep to win this season’s Fall Classic when I made my infamous postseason predictions earlier this month.)
-Chris Barfield (with a special thank-you to The Associated Press)
The “Fightin’ Phills” plain and simply dominated the Los Angeles ball-club, winning games 1, 2, 4, and 5 to advance to their first World Series since 1993.
(I originally picked the Phillies to take this series in 6. It ended in 5, but as I stated, the series was a slugfest, at least as far as Philadelphia was concerned.)
Hamels was selected as the series MVP for his efforts. Not surprisingly, he wants more.
The remarkably young, 24-year-old left-hander improved to 3-0 in the postseason, allowing a run and five hits over seven innings with five strikeouts as the Phillies ended the Dodgers’ hopes with a 5-1 victory.
“To get an award like this is something surreal. This definitely has to go to the whole team right here. But it’s only a stepping stone,” Hamels said. “Being in that parade down Broad Street is what we all want. Getting a World Series ring and trophy is what really matters. Getting there is great, but winning it all is the best.”
No doubt.
In the series opener, Hamels gave up two runs and six hits over seven innings, but the Philadelphia offense came on strong, with home runs by Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, to beat Derek Lowe and the Dodgers 3-2. The Phillies offensive display over a couple of big innings that night was just a short preview of how they were going to dominate the rest of the series. However, first-baseman Ryan Howard did not produce too much more at the plate after that round-tripper in Game 1. Howard’s batting average throughout the NLCS slipped under the “Mendoza Line” (.200).
Despite a powerful Phillies’ offense, Hamels did not get much run support during the regular season. Philadelphia bats scored three runs or less in eight of his losses and were shut-out in three of them.
“Cole is a guy that sat around and would give up two runs in a game and get no-decisions and losses. I’m sure he got frustrated, but he never really got upset,” shortstop Jimmy Rollins stated, who led off game five with a home run off Chad Billingsley. “Every time I spoke with him he just said, ‘Well, next time.’ And then it came to a point where he’d say, ‘Forget next time, I want to do it now.’”
“Now it’s come all the way around for him,” Rollins added. “Runs that we weren’t getting for him in the season have been sufficient for him in the postseason.”
Hamels struck out 13 in 14 innings, and finished with a 1.93 ERA in the series. He located his fastball exceptionally well and kept hitters off balance with the deception of his change-up.
The lefty is the fourth Phillies player to win the NLCS MVP award, joining second-basemen Manny Trillo (1980), left-fielder Gary Matthews (1983), and right-handed pitcher Curt Schilling (1993).
Hamels will return to the mound Wednesday, as he is scheduled to start Game 1 of the World Series against the winner of the Red Sox/Rays series. The Rays hold a 3-2 lead over Boston with Game 6 taking place at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay Friday night.
The ALCS was thought to be over, especially after Tampa Bay built a 7-0 lead in Game 5 on Thursday night. However, Boston had other thoughts. The Red Sox scored 8 runs in the final two innings of the game to pull off the second largest comeback in postseason history and the biggest comeback in an elimination game in the postseason.
(I originally predicted the Rays to win in 7.)
Philadelphia hopes this World Series will go better than the last.
Recall the image of Toronto Blue Jays’ slugger Joe Carter hammering what he thought was a slider from Philly closer Mitch Williams over the left field wall of the Rogers Centre in the bottom of the ninth during Game 7 to win the ‘93 Fall Classic. It was just the second walk-off home run in Major League history to win a World Series (Bill Mazerowski’s blast against the Yankees in 1960 to give Pittsburgh the World Series title).
The home run led to the demise of Mitch Williams, who still insists that the pitch was a bad fastball.
Philadelphia fans didn’t care what pitch was thrown. Neither did Joe Carter. Williams has stayed outside a 100-mile radius of Philadelphia ever since that fateful evening.
If the Phillies can pull out four wins against their A.L. opponent, which would give Philadelphia its second World Series title, Mitch Williams would undoubtedly be forgiven. Just look at how Boston fans forgave Bill Buckner, as they invited him to be honored during a regular season game this season. They even let him throw out the first pitch. It was the first time Buckner stepped foot into Fenway Park in over 25 years. It was the first time he’d even visited the city of Boston in over 25 years!
I do expect the Phillies to have a tough go of things once again. (I predicted the Rays to defeat the Phillies in a four-game-sweep to win this season’s Fall Classic when I made my infamous postseason predictions earlier this month.)
-Chris Barfield (with a special thank-you to The Associated Press)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Browns trump reigning Super Bowl champs on "Monday Night Football"
Finally, after five games of mediocrity, the Cleveland Browns stepped up in a big way Monday night.
The Browns destroyed the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants, 35-14, on "Monday Night Football," televised on ESPN.
This comes at a time when quarterback Derek Anderson was in dire need of a big win to get out of the hot seat.
He got one.
The Browns racked up their highest point total of the season, as they played exceptionally well against one of the NFC's most elite and deepest teams.
This game just goes to show how solid Cleveland could be if they stay healthy.
Quarterback Derek Anderson, in every way possible, solidified his spot as Cleveland's starter, humbly saying, "It's the guys I've been telling you about," speaking of his team. "I never doubted them, ever."
Anderson threw for 310 yards, and 2 touchdowns, earning him a 121.3 passer rating. It was one of the best outings of his career.
Anderson's success was due, in large part, to the skill set of receiver Braylon Edwards. The wide-out had the best game of his season as he made catches of 49 and 70 yards. Edward's final yards tally included an 11 yard touchdown grab. He ended the game with five catches for 154 yards and a touchdown.
The Browns defense also held its own against the solid, Giants offensive attack. Cleveland intercepted Eli Manning three times, one of which cornerback Eric Wright took 94 yards back to the house, a pick-six that sealed the Giant's fate.
The Browns' defense did bend a little though, allowing nearly 180 yards rushing.
However, don't tell that statistic to Corey Williams.
Williams, a member of Cleveland's big defensive line, stated after the game, "We played a solid 4 quarters."
All in all, if the Browns can stay consistent, don't be too fast count them out in the AFC North.
The Ravens lost their 3rd straight game on Sunday, making them 2-3. The Browns also gained a little ground on the idle 4-1 Steelers.
Of course, lowly Cincinnati sits winless at 0-6.
-Martin Lewis (with a special thanks to The Associated Press, especially to the writers at ESPN.)
The Browns destroyed the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants, 35-14, on "Monday Night Football," televised on ESPN.
This comes at a time when quarterback Derek Anderson was in dire need of a big win to get out of the hot seat.
He got one.
The Browns racked up their highest point total of the season, as they played exceptionally well against one of the NFC's most elite and deepest teams.
This game just goes to show how solid Cleveland could be if they stay healthy.
Quarterback Derek Anderson, in every way possible, solidified his spot as Cleveland's starter, humbly saying, "It's the guys I've been telling you about," speaking of his team. "I never doubted them, ever."
Anderson threw for 310 yards, and 2 touchdowns, earning him a 121.3 passer rating. It was one of the best outings of his career.
Anderson's success was due, in large part, to the skill set of receiver Braylon Edwards. The wide-out had the best game of his season as he made catches of 49 and 70 yards. Edward's final yards tally included an 11 yard touchdown grab. He ended the game with five catches for 154 yards and a touchdown.
The Browns defense also held its own against the solid, Giants offensive attack. Cleveland intercepted Eli Manning three times, one of which cornerback Eric Wright took 94 yards back to the house, a pick-six that sealed the Giant's fate.
The Browns' defense did bend a little though, allowing nearly 180 yards rushing.
However, don't tell that statistic to Corey Williams.
Williams, a member of Cleveland's big defensive line, stated after the game, "We played a solid 4 quarters."
All in all, if the Browns can stay consistent, don't be too fast count them out in the AFC North.
The Ravens lost their 3rd straight game on Sunday, making them 2-3. The Browns also gained a little ground on the idle 4-1 Steelers.
Of course, lowly Cincinnati sits winless at 0-6.
-Martin Lewis (with a special thanks to The Associated Press, especially to the writers at ESPN.)
Monday, October 13, 2008
NBC sells nearly all of the time slots for ads available during next year's Super Bowl
With almost four months remaining before the Super Bowl, NBC has sold nearly all of its available commercial time during the big game, thumping expectations despite a significantly weakened advertising market.
The network said in mid-September that nearly 85 percent of its available time slots have been sold, with strong categories that include automobile ads and movie previews. A dozen 30-second commercials sold for a whopping $3 million apiece, a figure that is up 10 percent from last year. According to MSNBC.com, the network has around 10 time slots still available. With a high demand for air time from revenue-hungry advertisers, NBC could command even more money for each time slot that is yet to be bought out.
Normally, only about 60 percent of Super Bowl ad slots get sold by this time of year, when professional football’s final bout is still more than four months away.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on the development via its website.
Sports have been a rare bright spot for media companies facing declining ad revenues this year due to the rapidly weakening economy. Although television ratings have been dropping for years as audiences turn to video recorders and alternative viewing platforms such as computers and Apple’s iPods, people still want to watch big-time, televised sporting events live and on high-quality screens.
Viewership for NBC, a unit of General Electric Company, was better than expected during the Olympic Games and exceeded the minimums NBC guaranteed advertisers. This allowed the network to be able to free up time slots it had reserved to make up for any shortfalls.
NBC reported that it had sold $25 million in ads during the Olympics. This figure does not include the unfathomable $1 billion or more the network made on ads sold before the Games had even begun. NBC hopes that revenues for commercial time slots during the Super Bowl can match those staggering figures on an ad revenue per hour basis (The Olympics lasted for a total of over two weeks. The Super Bowl is televised for maybe four to five hours. Ad revenue per hour gives the network a general idea of the relative earnings when comparing two or more events).
The overwhelming amount of money that ad slots during the Super Bowl are sold for is constituted based simply on the huge amount of people who view the biggest game of the year in professional sports.
The Super Bowl is single-handedly the most viewed, televised program year in and year out. Over 100 million people view the contest yearly. This colossal amount of viewers compiles a wide range of targeted consumer groups that advertisers can appeal to. This is why commercials during the Super Bowl are among the most effective forms of ads.
Commercials during the big game have quickly become a part of Super Bowl culture and lore. A large amount of people who tune in for the Super Bowl have reported that they look forward to the entertaining, well-thought advertisements that appear during breaks in the game. Companies are all but guaranteed that the products and services they offer will be immediately pushed upon potential customers through their ads during the Super Bowl.
The sports business is a proven moneymaker. While other markets’ revenues via advertisements are at a steady decline, the sports business is booming and is at a high point. This is despite declines in attendance of major sporting events throughout the country.
The decline in attendance could, however, have a positive impact on revenue earned through sports marketing and ads. More people are viewing games at home, on television, and through other platforms, which invites companies to advertise in commercials on television, and also over the internet and radio.
Super Bowl commercials show how effective ads on television can be if there is a significant number of people tuning into the broadcasted sporting event.
Sports marketers will continue to find new ways to generate revenue through advertisements at, during, and through sporting events, as well as through sports merchandise. The field of sports marketing will continue to grow and prosper in the future as sport is becoming, and probably already is, one of the most successful, highest earning businesses in the market today.
-Chris Barfield (Information and statistics obtained primarily via The Wall Street Journal.)
The network said in mid-September that nearly 85 percent of its available time slots have been sold, with strong categories that include automobile ads and movie previews. A dozen 30-second commercials sold for a whopping $3 million apiece, a figure that is up 10 percent from last year. According to MSNBC.com, the network has around 10 time slots still available. With a high demand for air time from revenue-hungry advertisers, NBC could command even more money for each time slot that is yet to be bought out.
Normally, only about 60 percent of Super Bowl ad slots get sold by this time of year, when professional football’s final bout is still more than four months away.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on the development via its website.
Sports have been a rare bright spot for media companies facing declining ad revenues this year due to the rapidly weakening economy. Although television ratings have been dropping for years as audiences turn to video recorders and alternative viewing platforms such as computers and Apple’s iPods, people still want to watch big-time, televised sporting events live and on high-quality screens.
Viewership for NBC, a unit of General Electric Company, was better than expected during the Olympic Games and exceeded the minimums NBC guaranteed advertisers. This allowed the network to be able to free up time slots it had reserved to make up for any shortfalls.
NBC reported that it had sold $25 million in ads during the Olympics. This figure does not include the unfathomable $1 billion or more the network made on ads sold before the Games had even begun. NBC hopes that revenues for commercial time slots during the Super Bowl can match those staggering figures on an ad revenue per hour basis (The Olympics lasted for a total of over two weeks. The Super Bowl is televised for maybe four to five hours. Ad revenue per hour gives the network a general idea of the relative earnings when comparing two or more events).
The overwhelming amount of money that ad slots during the Super Bowl are sold for is constituted based simply on the huge amount of people who view the biggest game of the year in professional sports.
The Super Bowl is single-handedly the most viewed, televised program year in and year out. Over 100 million people view the contest yearly. This colossal amount of viewers compiles a wide range of targeted consumer groups that advertisers can appeal to. This is why commercials during the Super Bowl are among the most effective forms of ads.
Commercials during the big game have quickly become a part of Super Bowl culture and lore. A large amount of people who tune in for the Super Bowl have reported that they look forward to the entertaining, well-thought advertisements that appear during breaks in the game. Companies are all but guaranteed that the products and services they offer will be immediately pushed upon potential customers through their ads during the Super Bowl.
The sports business is a proven moneymaker. While other markets’ revenues via advertisements are at a steady decline, the sports business is booming and is at a high point. This is despite declines in attendance of major sporting events throughout the country.
The decline in attendance could, however, have a positive impact on revenue earned through sports marketing and ads. More people are viewing games at home, on television, and through other platforms, which invites companies to advertise in commercials on television, and also over the internet and radio.
Super Bowl commercials show how effective ads on television can be if there is a significant number of people tuning into the broadcasted sporting event.
Sports marketers will continue to find new ways to generate revenue through advertisements at, during, and through sporting events, as well as through sports merchandise. The field of sports marketing will continue to grow and prosper in the future as sport is becoming, and probably already is, one of the most successful, highest earning businesses in the market today.
-Chris Barfield (Information and statistics obtained primarily via The Wall Street Journal.)
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Falcons edge out the Bears 22-20 on a thrilling, last second field goal
During Sunday afternoon’s Bears-Falcons game, Matt Ryan showed Atlanta fans why he was such a great pick for the franchise in the 2008 NFL Draft. Kicker Jason Elam also showed how valuable his acquisition during the offseason was.
Ryan went 22-of-30, for 301 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions in the Falcons thrilling, 22-20 win over the Chicago Bears. However, the bigger story was that of kicker Jason Elam, who converted on 5-of-6 field goals, including a 48-yarder as time expired which gave Atlanta their fourth win in six games this season.
Both teams had to rely on their kickers as each side was held out of the end zone for the entire 1st half. Elam kicked a total of three field goals for Atlanta while the Falcons defense held Chicago to just three points in the 1st half (a 36-yard field goal by Robbie Gould with 4:02 remaining in the 2nd quarter).
The score was 9-3, in favor of the Falcons, heading into halftime.
The Bears scored the first touchdown of the game with 2:24 remaining in the 3rd quarter on a 3-yard run by Matt Forte, making the score 12-10 in favor of Atlanta. The Falcons ensuing drive, which carried over into the 4th quarter, resulted in a 3-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White from Matt Ryan, making the score 19-10.
Neither team made too much progress on any drive after that touchdown until the Bears were able to convert on a 32-yard field goal attempt, again by Robbie Gould, with 4:00 minutes remaining in the 4th.
The Bears retained possession after Atlanta’s drive late in the 4th quarter failed as Jason Elam, who appeared to be the goat, hooked a 33-yard field goal attempt wide left with less than 3:00 minutes remaining in the game. Bears quarterback Kyle Orton completed a total of seven passes on Chicago’s next drive, including a 17-yard touchdown throw to wide receiver Rashied Davis with 0:11 seconds remaining in the game to tie the score at 19-19. The Bears’ PAT attempt by Gould was good, giving Chicago the lead 20-19.
Following the score, Gould pooched the Chicago kickoff to Harry Douglas of the Falcons, who managed to return the kick 10 yards to set up Atlanta at their own 44-yard line. The clock showed that 0:07 seconds remained in the game and fans seemed to give up hope as many of them exited the packed Georgia Dome. Then, with the poise of a 10-year veteran, Matt Ryan calmly threw a pass to receiver Michael Jenkins for a 26-yard gain along the left sideline. Jenkins caught the pass in front of safety Mike Brown, got both feet down and tumbled out of bounds with just 0:01 second remaining on the clock. Matt Ryan, once again, showed the Falcons faithful why the organization took him with the third overall pick in the draft, and also, why the team has labeled him as “the new face of the franchise.”
The play set up a 48-yard field goal attempt for kicker Jason Elam. The attempt spelled redemption for the long-time leg of the Denver Broncos, whom the Falcons picked up in a free agent deal during the offseason. His missed field goal earlier in the 4th quarter was his first in 31 attempts, and it nearly sealed his fate as the scapegoat of the game. After a short delay to confirm that Jenkins' reception was good, Elam lined up for the kick. The snap was good, and Elam, with the swift flick of his right leg, blasted the kick high into the air as time expired. The ball sailed through the uprights and the referees raised their arms, signaling that the kick was good. Elam had redeemed himself as the Falcons stunned the Bears with their surprising, and thrilling, fourth win of the season.
The Falcons erupted in a playoff-like celebration near the middle of the field after the kick. Head coach Mike Smith lifted his rookie quarterback into the air while Elam was swarmed by his teammates, having atoned for the miss with his fifth field goal of the game, equaling his career high.
The Falcons can gain much good out of their 22-20 win over the Bears. The defense showed that it is a resilient force to deal with, Elam proved how reliable his leg still is, and Matt Ryan showed that he is an up-and-coming star after another successful week. Ryan is a player who will soon be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, just as soon as he reaches his prime.
Six games into what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the Falcons have already matched their win total from a forgettable 2007 season.
Suddenly, the playoffs don’t appear to be out of the question.
Go Falcons!!!
-Chris Barfield (with a special thank you to The Associated Press, and especially to the writers at ESPN.com)
Ryan went 22-of-30, for 301 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions in the Falcons thrilling, 22-20 win over the Chicago Bears. However, the bigger story was that of kicker Jason Elam, who converted on 5-of-6 field goals, including a 48-yarder as time expired which gave Atlanta their fourth win in six games this season.
Both teams had to rely on their kickers as each side was held out of the end zone for the entire 1st half. Elam kicked a total of three field goals for Atlanta while the Falcons defense held Chicago to just three points in the 1st half (a 36-yard field goal by Robbie Gould with 4:02 remaining in the 2nd quarter).
The score was 9-3, in favor of the Falcons, heading into halftime.
The Bears scored the first touchdown of the game with 2:24 remaining in the 3rd quarter on a 3-yard run by Matt Forte, making the score 12-10 in favor of Atlanta. The Falcons ensuing drive, which carried over into the 4th quarter, resulted in a 3-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White from Matt Ryan, making the score 19-10.
Neither team made too much progress on any drive after that touchdown until the Bears were able to convert on a 32-yard field goal attempt, again by Robbie Gould, with 4:00 minutes remaining in the 4th.
The Bears retained possession after Atlanta’s drive late in the 4th quarter failed as Jason Elam, who appeared to be the goat, hooked a 33-yard field goal attempt wide left with less than 3:00 minutes remaining in the game. Bears quarterback Kyle Orton completed a total of seven passes on Chicago’s next drive, including a 17-yard touchdown throw to wide receiver Rashied Davis with 0:11 seconds remaining in the game to tie the score at 19-19. The Bears’ PAT attempt by Gould was good, giving Chicago the lead 20-19.
Following the score, Gould pooched the Chicago kickoff to Harry Douglas of the Falcons, who managed to return the kick 10 yards to set up Atlanta at their own 44-yard line. The clock showed that 0:07 seconds remained in the game and fans seemed to give up hope as many of them exited the packed Georgia Dome. Then, with the poise of a 10-year veteran, Matt Ryan calmly threw a pass to receiver Michael Jenkins for a 26-yard gain along the left sideline. Jenkins caught the pass in front of safety Mike Brown, got both feet down and tumbled out of bounds with just 0:01 second remaining on the clock. Matt Ryan, once again, showed the Falcons faithful why the organization took him with the third overall pick in the draft, and also, why the team has labeled him as “the new face of the franchise.”
The play set up a 48-yard field goal attempt for kicker Jason Elam. The attempt spelled redemption for the long-time leg of the Denver Broncos, whom the Falcons picked up in a free agent deal during the offseason. His missed field goal earlier in the 4th quarter was his first in 31 attempts, and it nearly sealed his fate as the scapegoat of the game. After a short delay to confirm that Jenkins' reception was good, Elam lined up for the kick. The snap was good, and Elam, with the swift flick of his right leg, blasted the kick high into the air as time expired. The ball sailed through the uprights and the referees raised their arms, signaling that the kick was good. Elam had redeemed himself as the Falcons stunned the Bears with their surprising, and thrilling, fourth win of the season.
The Falcons erupted in a playoff-like celebration near the middle of the field after the kick. Head coach Mike Smith lifted his rookie quarterback into the air while Elam was swarmed by his teammates, having atoned for the miss with his fifth field goal of the game, equaling his career high.
The Falcons can gain much good out of their 22-20 win over the Bears. The defense showed that it is a resilient force to deal with, Elam proved how reliable his leg still is, and Matt Ryan showed that he is an up-and-coming star after another successful week. Ryan is a player who will soon be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, just as soon as he reaches his prime.
Six games into what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the Falcons have already matched their win total from a forgettable 2007 season.
Suddenly, the playoffs don’t appear to be out of the question.
Go Falcons!!!
-Chris Barfield (with a special thank you to The Associated Press, and especially to the writers at ESPN.com)
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Postseason predictions by Barfield Sports
On Saturday night, the Chicago Cubs’ postseason struggles continued as the Los Angeles Dodgers completed the 3-game sweep with a 3-1 win at Dodger Stadium. This makes it 101 years since the Cubs have won a World Series. The North side has not seen the Cubs compete in a single October Classic since 1945. My deepest sympathies go out to all of the Cubs fans around the world. As they say in Chi-town, “Wait till next year.”
Next year will certainly have to go better than this one if the Cubbies have any hope, at least as far as October is concerned. Saturday's loss marked the ninth straight postseason loss for the Cubs, who were also swept in three games by Arizona during their NLDS appearance last year. The Cubs also became the first team since the 2001 Astros to finish with the best record in their league and be swept in their initial playoff series.
Curse or no curse, the Cubs just played horribly. They were outscored by the Dodgers 20-6, an embarrasing statistic for one of the National League's most versatile offenses.
The surprise of the Cubs being swept shows that just about anything can happen in baseball, especially in October. It's way too hard to tell who is going to come out on top these days. Just take a look at the many Wild Card teams that have won the World Series from each league over the past couple of decades. That number is staggering. With that said, it has inspired me to make my own postseason predictions this year.
Both ALDS series and one NLDS series are yet to be completed. The ALCS, NLCS, and World Series will take place in the coming weeks throughout this month. Here are my predictions on what is left to be played:
ALDS, Red Sox/Angels: Boston leads this series 2-0. Game three takes place tonight at Fenway Park. John Saunders (17-7) will face off against Josh Beckett (12-10). Beckett has suffered from injuries all season long and he makes his postseason return to the mound tonight. Beckett was 4-0 in October in 2007 and his postseason starts over the past 8 years, with the Marlins and now the Red Sox, have earned him the honor of being called the greatest postseason pitcher of this millennium. Expect Beckett to make his return to glory tonight as his arm will carry the Red Sox past the Angels and into their 5th ALCS appearance in the last 10 years.
ALDS, White Sox/Rays: Tampa Bay leads this series 2-0 with game three taking place tonight in Chicago. Matt Garza squares off against John Danks. Garza has been exceptional for the Rays all season long and Danks has been mediocre at best against the Rays in ’08. Rookie sensation Evan Longoria has been the difference maker in the first two games of this series. Don’t expect that to be any different in game three. The Rays lineup comes at you 1-9 and never lets up. Longoria is batting .571 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI’s so far this October. Longoria and the rest of the Rays juggernaut offense will be too much for the White Sox pitching staff tonight. The Rays get the sweep and make their first ALCS appearance ever.
NLDS, Brewers/Phillies: Philadelphia leads this series 2-1. The Brewers salvaged a win on Saturday night, but will face Joe Blanton, a midseason acquisition from Oakland, on Sunday. Blanton has not lived up to the expectations of Phillies fans, and expect him to struggle against Milwaukee. Blanton does not match up well against Brewer hitters such as the big man and slugger, Prince Fielder. However, a powerful Phillies offense will still be too much for the Brew-Crew to match. Expect this series to be over tonight, Phillies in 4. The bats of 1B Ryan Howard and 2B Chase Utley will carry the Fightin' Phills.
ALCS, Red Sox/Rays: The key to this series is home-field advantage, which the Rays have. The Rays have been magnificent at home, with a winning percentage over .750 in the regular season. The Red Sox couldn’t buy a win at Tropicana Field in ’08, and the majority of games in this series are scheduled to be played in Tampa Bay. The Rays struggled somewhat at Fenway during the regular season, but were able to win there more often than the Red Sox were able to in Tampa Bay. I expect this series to go the full 7 games. The home team will, in all likelihood, win every time. We saw some fantastic battles between the Sox and the Rays this year and that is why this series will turn into one of the best 7-game playoff series America has seen in over a decade. My prediction: Rays in 7.
NLCS, Dodgers/Phillies: This series will be dominated by offensive prowess. The Dodgers have been a different team since the July 31st acquisition of Manny Ramirez. Ramirez has changed the culture out in L.A. and has turned the Dodgers' offense into one of the most productive in the N.L. The only offense that compares to the Dodgers is, yes, the Phillies. Each and every game will be a slugfest. Pitching will make a huge difference in this series, even though most pitchers who take the mound will be getting pounded. The Phillies have the edge here with names like Cole Hamels starting games and Brad Lidge closing them out. My prediction: Phillies in 6.
World Series, Phillies/Rays: 5 of the last 10 World Series have been sweeps. I don’t expect that trend to be any different. The Rays have one of the few pitching staffs that is capable of shutting down the Phillies offense. Philadelphia pitching is not good enough to quiet the Rays’ bats. Let’s just face it, the American League is much stronger right now than their counterpart National League. This one is easy to call. The Rays became only the second team (Atlanta Braves) to finish a season in dead last and then follow up the very next year in first place. The Braves were not able to pull out their World Series in ’91, but I do think the Rays are a better team than those Braves and, also, they will be facing a much weaker team than the ’91 Braves had to face. Everyone wants to see a Cinderella story have a happy ending, myself included. The Rays are too good a team for the Phillies to beat on four different occasions over seven games. The A.L. won the All-Star game, meaning the Rays have home-field advantage. Let me remind you once again how good Tampa Bay has been at home this year. My prediction: Rays in an easy 4.
While these predictions come from hours of research into each team, hundreds of regular season games that I have viewed and attended this season, and my vast knowledge of the game of baseball (the greatest sport known to man), you will still look at these predictions when the postseason and October are all over with and gain insight into how great a game baseball is and, also, as to how anything can happen in sports.
The game of baseball means a great deal to America. Afterall, it is our national pasttime. The game has a great deal to do with how this country has grown and prospered. The game and it's players have instilled dreams into the heads of children and adults alike. The legends of the game, legends who will be forever immortalized, display what it really means to be American. Baseball is 100% American and it will forever be the standard by which we as Americans live and die.
Let me leave you with this final thought: Major League Baseball is the only business in American history in which the government constituted an exception for in relation to the Sherman Anti-Trust (monopoly) laws. The NFL, NBA, and NHL all had to make accomodations to not violate the infamous laws. To the game of baseball, the rules somehow did not apply.
-Chris Barfield (Predictions only reflect the thoughts of the author and of BARFIELD SPORTS. All predictions ARE original, formulated by research, games viewed and attended, and from a vast knowledge of the game of baseball.)
Next year will certainly have to go better than this one if the Cubbies have any hope, at least as far as October is concerned. Saturday's loss marked the ninth straight postseason loss for the Cubs, who were also swept in three games by Arizona during their NLDS appearance last year. The Cubs also became the first team since the 2001 Astros to finish with the best record in their league and be swept in their initial playoff series.
Curse or no curse, the Cubs just played horribly. They were outscored by the Dodgers 20-6, an embarrasing statistic for one of the National League's most versatile offenses.
The surprise of the Cubs being swept shows that just about anything can happen in baseball, especially in October. It's way too hard to tell who is going to come out on top these days. Just take a look at the many Wild Card teams that have won the World Series from each league over the past couple of decades. That number is staggering. With that said, it has inspired me to make my own postseason predictions this year.
Both ALDS series and one NLDS series are yet to be completed. The ALCS, NLCS, and World Series will take place in the coming weeks throughout this month. Here are my predictions on what is left to be played:
ALDS, Red Sox/Angels: Boston leads this series 2-0. Game three takes place tonight at Fenway Park. John Saunders (17-7) will face off against Josh Beckett (12-10). Beckett has suffered from injuries all season long and he makes his postseason return to the mound tonight. Beckett was 4-0 in October in 2007 and his postseason starts over the past 8 years, with the Marlins and now the Red Sox, have earned him the honor of being called the greatest postseason pitcher of this millennium. Expect Beckett to make his return to glory tonight as his arm will carry the Red Sox past the Angels and into their 5th ALCS appearance in the last 10 years.
ALDS, White Sox/Rays: Tampa Bay leads this series 2-0 with game three taking place tonight in Chicago. Matt Garza squares off against John Danks. Garza has been exceptional for the Rays all season long and Danks has been mediocre at best against the Rays in ’08. Rookie sensation Evan Longoria has been the difference maker in the first two games of this series. Don’t expect that to be any different in game three. The Rays lineup comes at you 1-9 and never lets up. Longoria is batting .571 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI’s so far this October. Longoria and the rest of the Rays juggernaut offense will be too much for the White Sox pitching staff tonight. The Rays get the sweep and make their first ALCS appearance ever.
NLDS, Brewers/Phillies: Philadelphia leads this series 2-1. The Brewers salvaged a win on Saturday night, but will face Joe Blanton, a midseason acquisition from Oakland, on Sunday. Blanton has not lived up to the expectations of Phillies fans, and expect him to struggle against Milwaukee. Blanton does not match up well against Brewer hitters such as the big man and slugger, Prince Fielder. However, a powerful Phillies offense will still be too much for the Brew-Crew to match. Expect this series to be over tonight, Phillies in 4. The bats of 1B Ryan Howard and 2B Chase Utley will carry the Fightin' Phills.
ALCS, Red Sox/Rays: The key to this series is home-field advantage, which the Rays have. The Rays have been magnificent at home, with a winning percentage over .750 in the regular season. The Red Sox couldn’t buy a win at Tropicana Field in ’08, and the majority of games in this series are scheduled to be played in Tampa Bay. The Rays struggled somewhat at Fenway during the regular season, but were able to win there more often than the Red Sox were able to in Tampa Bay. I expect this series to go the full 7 games. The home team will, in all likelihood, win every time. We saw some fantastic battles between the Sox and the Rays this year and that is why this series will turn into one of the best 7-game playoff series America has seen in over a decade. My prediction: Rays in 7.
NLCS, Dodgers/Phillies: This series will be dominated by offensive prowess. The Dodgers have been a different team since the July 31st acquisition of Manny Ramirez. Ramirez has changed the culture out in L.A. and has turned the Dodgers' offense into one of the most productive in the N.L. The only offense that compares to the Dodgers is, yes, the Phillies. Each and every game will be a slugfest. Pitching will make a huge difference in this series, even though most pitchers who take the mound will be getting pounded. The Phillies have the edge here with names like Cole Hamels starting games and Brad Lidge closing them out. My prediction: Phillies in 6.
World Series, Phillies/Rays: 5 of the last 10 World Series have been sweeps. I don’t expect that trend to be any different. The Rays have one of the few pitching staffs that is capable of shutting down the Phillies offense. Philadelphia pitching is not good enough to quiet the Rays’ bats. Let’s just face it, the American League is much stronger right now than their counterpart National League. This one is easy to call. The Rays became only the second team (Atlanta Braves) to finish a season in dead last and then follow up the very next year in first place. The Braves were not able to pull out their World Series in ’91, but I do think the Rays are a better team than those Braves and, also, they will be facing a much weaker team than the ’91 Braves had to face. Everyone wants to see a Cinderella story have a happy ending, myself included. The Rays are too good a team for the Phillies to beat on four different occasions over seven games. The A.L. won the All-Star game, meaning the Rays have home-field advantage. Let me remind you once again how good Tampa Bay has been at home this year. My prediction: Rays in an easy 4.
While these predictions come from hours of research into each team, hundreds of regular season games that I have viewed and attended this season, and my vast knowledge of the game of baseball (the greatest sport known to man), you will still look at these predictions when the postseason and October are all over with and gain insight into how great a game baseball is and, also, as to how anything can happen in sports.
The game of baseball means a great deal to America. Afterall, it is our national pasttime. The game has a great deal to do with how this country has grown and prospered. The game and it's players have instilled dreams into the heads of children and adults alike. The legends of the game, legends who will be forever immortalized, display what it really means to be American. Baseball is 100% American and it will forever be the standard by which we as Americans live and die.
Let me leave you with this final thought: Major League Baseball is the only business in American history in which the government constituted an exception for in relation to the Sherman Anti-Trust (monopoly) laws. The NFL, NBA, and NHL all had to make accomodations to not violate the infamous laws. To the game of baseball, the rules somehow did not apply.
-Chris Barfield (Predictions only reflect the thoughts of the author and of BARFIELD SPORTS. All predictions ARE original, formulated by research, games viewed and attended, and from a vast knowledge of the game of baseball.)
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Oregon State pulls off upset against the top ranked Trojans
In a game where the underdog was never thought to have a chance, unranked Oregon State shocked the number one ranked Southern Cal Trojans, 27-21.
In Thursday night's showdown, the 25-point favored Trojans fell to the hands of the unranked Beavers in one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers led the way for the Beavers with 37 carries for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns. The freshman sensation ran down the throats of what was said to be head coach Pete Carroll's best team, and best defense, in his entire tenure at USC.
Apparently not.
"Quiz" Rodgers played inspired football, getting blocks from his big offensive line, and his older brother James Rodgers. His 5 foot 6 frame was nearly impossible to spot behind his massive front five (who average around 300 pounds in weight). The Trojan defense was unable to stop him effectively.
Oregon State came out impressive in the first half, stopping the Trojans on a quick three-and-out, and scoring a touchdown on the ensuing drive. Oregon State's intensity was hard to match for the rest of the first half, as the Beavers entered halftime with a commanding 21-0 lead.
The second half consisted of the same shifty runs by "Quiz,” but less execution on behalf of the rest of the Beavers' offense. After their first drive, a quick three-and-out, USC put two touchdowns on the board making it 21-14. The Trojans looked to be regaining their swagger, but the Oregon State defense refused to submit. They held USC to three straight punts on the next three possessions.
Finally, on the Trojans following possession late in the fourth quarter, the Beavers' Greg Laybourn returned an interception to the USC two yard line. On the next play, "Quiz" punched it into the end zone for his second score, nearly sealing the Trojans' fate. However, a missed PAT kept USC in it, with the score 27-14
Fans began jumping onto the field with 2:40 left to play with the scent of an upset on their minds.
In a drive that only took 1:20 off of the clock, USC quickly marched down the field and scored, making it 27-21.
With Oregon State head coach Mike Riley already drenched in Gatorade, this was starting to bring back memories of a LSU-Kentucky game from less than a decade ago in which Kentucky thought the victory and the upset were a lock. The Kentucky players drenched their coach in Gatorade only to see LSU's “Hail Mary” attempt completed for a long touchdown as the clock expired. The Tigers won the historic game.
On the ensuing kickoff, USC attempted an onside kick but to no avail. Oregon State kneeled on the ball a few times, and before you knew it, a wave of Beaver orange rushed the field. It was all over.
This was the first time Oregon State had beaten a number one team since they beat the 1967 Trojans, led by O.J. Simpson. It was also the first time any team with a losing record had beaten the nation’s top team since 1990, when Michigan State stunned Michigan.
After the game, USC head coach Pete Carroll was asked what he thought about Oregon State's performance. Carroll replied, "They did a marvelous job, they were on point in everything they did, and I wouldn't take anything away from them." Carroll also stated the obvious. “We did not play well."
This loss puts Southern Cal in the back seat, for now, and gives way for other premier teams, such as Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, and Missouri, to have a shot at the top spot and, eventually, to have a shot at the National Championship.
-Martin Lewis (with a thank you going out to The Associated Press and, primarily, to ESPN and its affiliates)
In Thursday night's showdown, the 25-point favored Trojans fell to the hands of the unranked Beavers in one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers led the way for the Beavers with 37 carries for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns. The freshman sensation ran down the throats of what was said to be head coach Pete Carroll's best team, and best defense, in his entire tenure at USC.
Apparently not.
"Quiz" Rodgers played inspired football, getting blocks from his big offensive line, and his older brother James Rodgers. His 5 foot 6 frame was nearly impossible to spot behind his massive front five (who average around 300 pounds in weight). The Trojan defense was unable to stop him effectively.
Oregon State came out impressive in the first half, stopping the Trojans on a quick three-and-out, and scoring a touchdown on the ensuing drive. Oregon State's intensity was hard to match for the rest of the first half, as the Beavers entered halftime with a commanding 21-0 lead.
The second half consisted of the same shifty runs by "Quiz,” but less execution on behalf of the rest of the Beavers' offense. After their first drive, a quick three-and-out, USC put two touchdowns on the board making it 21-14. The Trojans looked to be regaining their swagger, but the Oregon State defense refused to submit. They held USC to three straight punts on the next three possessions.
Finally, on the Trojans following possession late in the fourth quarter, the Beavers' Greg Laybourn returned an interception to the USC two yard line. On the next play, "Quiz" punched it into the end zone for his second score, nearly sealing the Trojans' fate. However, a missed PAT kept USC in it, with the score 27-14
Fans began jumping onto the field with 2:40 left to play with the scent of an upset on their minds.
In a drive that only took 1:20 off of the clock, USC quickly marched down the field and scored, making it 27-21.
With Oregon State head coach Mike Riley already drenched in Gatorade, this was starting to bring back memories of a LSU-Kentucky game from less than a decade ago in which Kentucky thought the victory and the upset were a lock. The Kentucky players drenched their coach in Gatorade only to see LSU's “Hail Mary” attempt completed for a long touchdown as the clock expired. The Tigers won the historic game.
On the ensuing kickoff, USC attempted an onside kick but to no avail. Oregon State kneeled on the ball a few times, and before you knew it, a wave of Beaver orange rushed the field. It was all over.
This was the first time Oregon State had beaten a number one team since they beat the 1967 Trojans, led by O.J. Simpson. It was also the first time any team with a losing record had beaten the nation’s top team since 1990, when Michigan State stunned Michigan.
After the game, USC head coach Pete Carroll was asked what he thought about Oregon State's performance. Carroll replied, "They did a marvelous job, they were on point in everything they did, and I wouldn't take anything away from them." Carroll also stated the obvious. “We did not play well."
This loss puts Southern Cal in the back seat, for now, and gives way for other premier teams, such as Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, and Missouri, to have a shot at the top spot and, eventually, to have a shot at the National Championship.
-Martin Lewis (with a thank you going out to The Associated Press and, primarily, to ESPN and its affiliates)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
With a first inning single on Tuesday night, Jeter set a record that will stand forever
After his first inning single on Tuesday night, Derek Jeter finally captured the record for most career hits at Yankee Stadium. It took close to a minute of standing applause by the 52, 558 people in the sellout crowd for Jeter to finally take off his helmet and wave it around in appreciation.
"I'm always a little uncomfortable in those situations," Jeter said.
Jeter’s hit off Gavin Floyd was his 1,270th in the 85-year-old ballpark, which is scheduled to close for good on Sunday. However, the quickly declining Yankees will, without a doubt, miss the playoffs for the first time since 1993. Their 6-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night dropped the New York ballclub another game back of the Cinderella team now known to the world as the Rays.
Absolutely noone would write this script for the final season of the ballpark lovingly referred to as “The House that Ruth Built.”
The hit, which set a record that will never be broken, provided not only the Yankee faithful with something special to gain out of their club's miserable season, but also a memory that Derek Jeter will carry with him as long as he lives.
"It's kind of hard to enjoy it because we lost the game," Jeter said. "I was talking with my parents last night. They were saying, you know, you need to sit back and try to enjoy it while it's happening, because I'm always thinking about how we can win and things like that. But this is something that is pretty special. I mean, I'd be lying to you if I said it wasn't. Records are made to be broken, but this one at least will never be broken."
The hit came in Jeter's 8,002nd major league at-bat, and he passed Gehrig for second on the Yankees' career list behind Mickey Mantle (8,102). Jeter also added a fifth-inning single.
Manager Joe Girardi had much to say about the dazzling superstar who will forever be immortalized in the minds of, not only every Yankees fan but, every baseball fan for years to come.
"He's a true Yankee," spoke Girardi. "I think he embodies what baseball people want to see in a player: a guy that goes about his business the right way. He stays out of the headlines. He just does a lot of great things. He's important to the community. He gives back all the time, to children, to everyone."
The man who held the record before Derek Jeter, Lou Gehrig, played with the Yankees from 1923—Yankee Stadium’s opening season—until 1939, when he was forced to retire due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS, which is a fatal disease that deteriorates the body’s muscle, would eventually take the life of the “Iron Horse” two years after his retirement. The 34-year-old Jeter came up with the Yankees in 1995 and, like Gehrig, quickly became the Yankee captain.
While the Yankees have faded from contention, Jeter has played his best late this year. He is batting .397 since Aug. 12, raising his season average to .306.
Jeter said of Gehrig, what he admired most about him was his consistency.
"He was as consistent probably as any player that ever played the game. What he did year in, and year out, I think it's something that all players admire," he said.
White Sox third baseman Juan Uribe, playing on the edge of the infield grass, tried to backhand the hard, grounder in the first but it went under his glove.
There have been camera flashes with every pitch thrown to Jeter in recent days. He didn’t want to react too quickly after reaching first base.
"I didn't know if it was a hit. You can't really tip your cap," he said.
Next year, New York will move to the $1.3 billion, new Yankee Stadium, which is being built directly across the street from the old Yankee Stadium.
But Jeter, surely the last of the Yankees with a single-digit number on his back, will always have the ball and the lineup card from this night. Again, this record will stand forever.
"I don't know how many can't be broken," he said. "It's pretty special, this stadium. It's kind of funny how it all worked out."
-Chris Barfield (with a special thank you to The Associated Press, and to ESPN.com and SI.com)
"I'm always a little uncomfortable in those situations," Jeter said.
Jeter’s hit off Gavin Floyd was his 1,270th in the 85-year-old ballpark, which is scheduled to close for good on Sunday. However, the quickly declining Yankees will, without a doubt, miss the playoffs for the first time since 1993. Their 6-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night dropped the New York ballclub another game back of the Cinderella team now known to the world as the Rays.
Absolutely noone would write this script for the final season of the ballpark lovingly referred to as “The House that Ruth Built.”
The hit, which set a record that will never be broken, provided not only the Yankee faithful with something special to gain out of their club's miserable season, but also a memory that Derek Jeter will carry with him as long as he lives.
"It's kind of hard to enjoy it because we lost the game," Jeter said. "I was talking with my parents last night. They were saying, you know, you need to sit back and try to enjoy it while it's happening, because I'm always thinking about how we can win and things like that. But this is something that is pretty special. I mean, I'd be lying to you if I said it wasn't. Records are made to be broken, but this one at least will never be broken."
The hit came in Jeter's 8,002nd major league at-bat, and he passed Gehrig for second on the Yankees' career list behind Mickey Mantle (8,102). Jeter also added a fifth-inning single.
Manager Joe Girardi had much to say about the dazzling superstar who will forever be immortalized in the minds of, not only every Yankees fan but, every baseball fan for years to come.
"He's a true Yankee," spoke Girardi. "I think he embodies what baseball people want to see in a player: a guy that goes about his business the right way. He stays out of the headlines. He just does a lot of great things. He's important to the community. He gives back all the time, to children, to everyone."
The man who held the record before Derek Jeter, Lou Gehrig, played with the Yankees from 1923—Yankee Stadium’s opening season—until 1939, when he was forced to retire due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS, which is a fatal disease that deteriorates the body’s muscle, would eventually take the life of the “Iron Horse” two years after his retirement. The 34-year-old Jeter came up with the Yankees in 1995 and, like Gehrig, quickly became the Yankee captain.
While the Yankees have faded from contention, Jeter has played his best late this year. He is batting .397 since Aug. 12, raising his season average to .306.
Jeter said of Gehrig, what he admired most about him was his consistency.
"He was as consistent probably as any player that ever played the game. What he did year in, and year out, I think it's something that all players admire," he said.
White Sox third baseman Juan Uribe, playing on the edge of the infield grass, tried to backhand the hard, grounder in the first but it went under his glove.
There have been camera flashes with every pitch thrown to Jeter in recent days. He didn’t want to react too quickly after reaching first base.
"I didn't know if it was a hit. You can't really tip your cap," he said.
Next year, New York will move to the $1.3 billion, new Yankee Stadium, which is being built directly across the street from the old Yankee Stadium.
But Jeter, surely the last of the Yankees with a single-digit number on his back, will always have the ball and the lineup card from this night. Again, this record will stand forever.
"I don't know how many can't be broken," he said. "It's pretty special, this stadium. It's kind of funny how it all worked out."
-Chris Barfield (with a special thank you to The Associated Press, and to ESPN.com and SI.com)
Eagles at Cowboys, an old-fashioned NFC showdown
After all of the talk surrounding the loss of Tom Brady, many overlooked what turned out to be the best game of the week.
The Monday night showdown between Philadelphia and Dallas saw 7 lead changes, with Dallas finally prevailing in the 4th quarter in a 41-37 thriller at Texas Stadium. It would also be the final Monday night game ever played in the place the Cowboys have called home for over 30 years.
The game showcased two high-powered offenses lead by two volatile quarterbacks, Philly's Donovan Mcnabb and Dallas' Tony Romo.
McNabb, who resembled the sly quarterback we once knew, looked healthier and more versatile than ever. McNabb was 25 of 37 for 281 yards and a touchdown. He also had a couple of carries for 20 yards.
“These were two great football teams going at it...and there are a lot of positives we can take from this game." McNabb, always humbling, also added, "What we need to do is focus on working on the negatives."
One of those negatives was the knucklehead play by DeSean Jackson. McNabb connected with Jackson on a long pass and Jackson proceeded to toss the ball backwards in celebration before actually crossing the goal line, losing the touchdown after review. The Eagles did retain possession and would end up scoring a few plays later on a Brian Westbrook touchdown.
Dallas also had their fair share of bad plays.
Early in the game, Romo lost grip of the football on a routine hand-off and fumbled into his own end zone. The Dallas play-caller was able to recover his own fumble, but when he tried to make a play, the ball was knocked loose and recovered by the Eagles for a TD.
Romo finished 21 of 30, with 312 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also threw a costly pick early in the game.
Romo, who earned his fantasy owners a multitudinous amount of points this week (myself included), connected with Terrell Owens for two touchdowns. The combined effort of the two Dallas stars garnered the pair some recognition as the best quarterback/receiver duo the NFL has ever seen. When you are mentioned alongside the famed duos of the NFL, such as Montana/Young and Rice or Manning and Harrison, you are obviously doing something right.
T. O.’s two touchdowns also propelled him past Cris Carter into 2nd on the NFL’s all-time touchdown receptions list. Now, only the great Jerry Rice stands ahead of him. Rice finished his career with an astounding 197 touchdown receptions, a record some believed would never be touched. Owens 132 career touchdown receptions trails Rice by 65. T.O. is certainly on pace to break that record, granted he plays long enough while staying healthy.
Owens, always McNabb's "humble" antagonist, was quoted after the game, "It doesn't matter what [the Eagles or anyone else] say(s) about me now." He also added, "The Lord has obviously blessed me with a lot of talent."
The game really was an old fashioned NFC showdown. It was the 6th highest scoring contest in Monday Night Football history, and the first half point tally was tied for 2nd all-time on a Monday night.
If you missed this one, try to catch some highlights, because it sure was a shootout.
After the game, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said, "We kept believing in each other, and we came out on top."
If Monday night’s action wasn’t enough for you, the two teams will meet again in week 17 for the season finale of this great NFC East rivalry. After the performance each team put up on Monday night, one would tend to believe playoff implications will most certainly be on the line.
-Martin Lewis (with a special thanks going out to The Associated Press)
The Monday night showdown between Philadelphia and Dallas saw 7 lead changes, with Dallas finally prevailing in the 4th quarter in a 41-37 thriller at Texas Stadium. It would also be the final Monday night game ever played in the place the Cowboys have called home for over 30 years.
The game showcased two high-powered offenses lead by two volatile quarterbacks, Philly's Donovan Mcnabb and Dallas' Tony Romo.
McNabb, who resembled the sly quarterback we once knew, looked healthier and more versatile than ever. McNabb was 25 of 37 for 281 yards and a touchdown. He also had a couple of carries for 20 yards.
“These were two great football teams going at it...and there are a lot of positives we can take from this game." McNabb, always humbling, also added, "What we need to do is focus on working on the negatives."
One of those negatives was the knucklehead play by DeSean Jackson. McNabb connected with Jackson on a long pass and Jackson proceeded to toss the ball backwards in celebration before actually crossing the goal line, losing the touchdown after review. The Eagles did retain possession and would end up scoring a few plays later on a Brian Westbrook touchdown.
Dallas also had their fair share of bad plays.
Early in the game, Romo lost grip of the football on a routine hand-off and fumbled into his own end zone. The Dallas play-caller was able to recover his own fumble, but when he tried to make a play, the ball was knocked loose and recovered by the Eagles for a TD.
Romo finished 21 of 30, with 312 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also threw a costly pick early in the game.
Romo, who earned his fantasy owners a multitudinous amount of points this week (myself included), connected with Terrell Owens for two touchdowns. The combined effort of the two Dallas stars garnered the pair some recognition as the best quarterback/receiver duo the NFL has ever seen. When you are mentioned alongside the famed duos of the NFL, such as Montana/Young and Rice or Manning and Harrison, you are obviously doing something right.
T. O.’s two touchdowns also propelled him past Cris Carter into 2nd on the NFL’s all-time touchdown receptions list. Now, only the great Jerry Rice stands ahead of him. Rice finished his career with an astounding 197 touchdown receptions, a record some believed would never be touched. Owens 132 career touchdown receptions trails Rice by 65. T.O. is certainly on pace to break that record, granted he plays long enough while staying healthy.
Owens, always McNabb's "humble" antagonist, was quoted after the game, "It doesn't matter what [the Eagles or anyone else] say(s) about me now." He also added, "The Lord has obviously blessed me with a lot of talent."
The game really was an old fashioned NFC showdown. It was the 6th highest scoring contest in Monday Night Football history, and the first half point tally was tied for 2nd all-time on a Monday night.
If you missed this one, try to catch some highlights, because it sure was a shootout.
After the game, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said, "We kept believing in each other, and we came out on top."
If Monday night’s action wasn’t enough for you, the two teams will meet again in week 17 for the season finale of this great NFC East rivalry. After the performance each team put up on Monday night, one would tend to believe playoff implications will most certainly be on the line.
-Martin Lewis (with a special thanks going out to The Associated Press)
Monday, September 8, 2008
Moreno shows why he is top-Dawg
University of Georgia tailback, Knowshon Moreno, would certainly have been a hit at the Bird’s Nest.
He sure looked like an Olympic hurdler in Georgia’s 56-17 rout of Central Michigan on Saturday between the hedges.
Georgia’s dynamic sophomore, who some are already comparing to 1982 Heisman winner Herschel Walker, rushed for a total of 168 yards and tied his career-best with three touchdowns as No. 2 Georgia responded to a ratings snub by humiliating the Chippewas.
The play everyone was talking about did not result in a touchdown, but it did get Moreno a mention along with the top performers during Saturday’s college football action.
Late in the third quarter, Moreno got loose in the Chippewas' secondary. Vince Agnew came in low, looking to take him down at the knees, but the Georgia back simply leaped over the would-be tackler and kept on going for a 29-yard gain.
"That was crazy," teammate Asher Allen said. "He's done it in practice before. I think he's been keeping that in his back pocket."
Moreno sat out his first season at Georgia, a decision coach Mark Richt clearly regrets.
"He's a special kid," Richt said. "We saw him do it in practice, and I redshirted him anyway. That wasn't real smart on my part. I knew he was good, but I didn't know he was that good."
There were several other standouts wearing red on Saturday as well.
Matthew Stafford completed 18-of-28 for 213 yards, hooking up with Mohamed Massaquoi on a pair of touchdown passes. Massive defensive end Demarcus Dobbs rumbled for an improbable 78-yard score after picking off a deflected pass.
The Bulldogs displayed the type of offensive balance—passing for 289 yards and rushing for 263 yards—that should serve them well in much tougher games to come. Georgia now faces back-to-back road games at South Carolina and at Arizona State, respectively, and then faces a full plate of formidable SEC opponents the rest of the way.
"You're always looking for the ability to do things equally well," Richt said. "The defense can take one thing away from you, but if you can do both you've got a chance."
Players insisted that they were not trying to send a message; however, it sure looked that way. Georgia began the season as the top ranked team in the land, but fell to No. 2 following a 24-point win over Georgia Southern in a game that was really not that close.
Voters seemed more impressed over Southern California’s 52-7 rout at Virginia, resulting in USC moving ahead of Georgia in both major polls.
Unfazed by the snub, Georgia raced to a 28-0 lead over the Chippewas just before halftime, and stymied any hopes of a comeback with two big scoring plays early in the third quarter.
"The polls were probably the last thing on guys minds," safety C.J. Byrd said. "We just wanted to go out and get a win, no matter how we got it."
After Central Michigan (1-1) closed to 28-14 on Dan LeFevour's second TD pass, Moreno put it away. The sophomore took the pitch on a sweep around right end, burst upfield when he spotted a hole, stiff-armed defensive back Eric Fraser, and crashed off the pylon for a 52-yard score.
Moreno wasn't done, either. He capped a 99-yard drive with a 21-yard touchdown, the last of his 18 carries and equaling his three-score performances against Florida and Troy during a brilliant redshirt freshman season. He's off and running again with the seventh 100-yard game of his career.
As for the leap over Agnew, he simply shrugged his shoulders.
"All that stuff is really instinct," Moreno said. "Instinct takes over and you're just trying to make a play."
The Dawgs are now hoping for an upset as No. 5 Ohio State travels to Los Angeles to square-off against top ranked USC in the Coliseum. A USC loss would most certainly move Georgia back to No. 1. But don’t take anything for granted. Georgia still must take down the Spurrier-led Gamecocks, a team that cost the Bulldogs a shot at the national title in 2007 with a stunning defeat at Sanford Stadium.
Expect the Dawgs to be looking for a little something called revenge.
-Chris Barfield (with a special thank you to The Associated Press, including GeorgiaDogs.com, ESPN.com, and SI.com)
He sure looked like an Olympic hurdler in Georgia’s 56-17 rout of Central Michigan on Saturday between the hedges.
Georgia’s dynamic sophomore, who some are already comparing to 1982 Heisman winner Herschel Walker, rushed for a total of 168 yards and tied his career-best with three touchdowns as No. 2 Georgia responded to a ratings snub by humiliating the Chippewas.
The play everyone was talking about did not result in a touchdown, but it did get Moreno a mention along with the top performers during Saturday’s college football action.
Late in the third quarter, Moreno got loose in the Chippewas' secondary. Vince Agnew came in low, looking to take him down at the knees, but the Georgia back simply leaped over the would-be tackler and kept on going for a 29-yard gain.
"That was crazy," teammate Asher Allen said. "He's done it in practice before. I think he's been keeping that in his back pocket."
Moreno sat out his first season at Georgia, a decision coach Mark Richt clearly regrets.
"He's a special kid," Richt said. "We saw him do it in practice, and I redshirted him anyway. That wasn't real smart on my part. I knew he was good, but I didn't know he was that good."
There were several other standouts wearing red on Saturday as well.
Matthew Stafford completed 18-of-28 for 213 yards, hooking up with Mohamed Massaquoi on a pair of touchdown passes. Massive defensive end Demarcus Dobbs rumbled for an improbable 78-yard score after picking off a deflected pass.
The Bulldogs displayed the type of offensive balance—passing for 289 yards and rushing for 263 yards—that should serve them well in much tougher games to come. Georgia now faces back-to-back road games at South Carolina and at Arizona State, respectively, and then faces a full plate of formidable SEC opponents the rest of the way.
"You're always looking for the ability to do things equally well," Richt said. "The defense can take one thing away from you, but if you can do both you've got a chance."
Players insisted that they were not trying to send a message; however, it sure looked that way. Georgia began the season as the top ranked team in the land, but fell to No. 2 following a 24-point win over Georgia Southern in a game that was really not that close.
Voters seemed more impressed over Southern California’s 52-7 rout at Virginia, resulting in USC moving ahead of Georgia in both major polls.
Unfazed by the snub, Georgia raced to a 28-0 lead over the Chippewas just before halftime, and stymied any hopes of a comeback with two big scoring plays early in the third quarter.
"The polls were probably the last thing on guys minds," safety C.J. Byrd said. "We just wanted to go out and get a win, no matter how we got it."
After Central Michigan (1-1) closed to 28-14 on Dan LeFevour's second TD pass, Moreno put it away. The sophomore took the pitch on a sweep around right end, burst upfield when he spotted a hole, stiff-armed defensive back Eric Fraser, and crashed off the pylon for a 52-yard score.
Moreno wasn't done, either. He capped a 99-yard drive with a 21-yard touchdown, the last of his 18 carries and equaling his three-score performances against Florida and Troy during a brilliant redshirt freshman season. He's off and running again with the seventh 100-yard game of his career.
As for the leap over Agnew, he simply shrugged his shoulders.
"All that stuff is really instinct," Moreno said. "Instinct takes over and you're just trying to make a play."
The Dawgs are now hoping for an upset as No. 5 Ohio State travels to Los Angeles to square-off against top ranked USC in the Coliseum. A USC loss would most certainly move Georgia back to No. 1. But don’t take anything for granted. Georgia still must take down the Spurrier-led Gamecocks, a team that cost the Bulldogs a shot at the national title in 2007 with a stunning defeat at Sanford Stadium.
Expect the Dawgs to be looking for a little something called revenge.
-Chris Barfield (with a special thank you to The Associated Press, including GeorgiaDogs.com, ESPN.com, and SI.com)
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