Thursday, September 13, 2012
All Aboard The Orioles Train!
As I'm writing this blog, the Orioles have just gone into the tenth inning in their game with the Rays. They are at home and going for the sweep. They are desperately fighting to win this game. They need all the cushion they can get as they close the regular season with a brutal 19 game stretch. 12 of their final 19 games are on the road. In that stretch they play Oakland, who is also fighting to make the playoffs. They also close the season with a 3 game series in Tampa against the Rays. That three game series could have so much riding on it. That could determine the fate of multiple teams and whether they make the playoffs or not.
Nate McLouth came up so big last night with this bottom of the 9th hit. Do you think the Orioles were excited?
They were about as happy as the Red Sox the night before. On September 11th, 2012 Jacoby Ellsbury hit the walk off single to lead the Red Sox to victory. This doesn't capture the entire celebration that Boston had, but you would have thought that they had won the World Series.
Thanks to ESPN networks I was able to flip back and forth between Rays-Orioles and Red Sox-Yankees last night. I was able to see McLouth's walk off hit and then flip back to Boston. Jarrod Saltlamachia hit a hell of a home run at the bottom of the 9th to bring the Red Sox to within 5-4. Mike Aviles then got on base and Jacoby Ellsbury had the chance to be the hero again. He gave it a good shot. Maybe there's hope for the Red Sox going forward. With the players they've traded to LA not having done a whole lot.
Sorry I digressed. Let's go back to the Orioles, they are now in the bottom of the 11th inning. Who will be the person that gets the clutch hit this time. The Orioles haven't been to the playoffs since 1997 and there's no guarantee they will be making it this season. They've overcome so much adversity to get to this point. McLouth is now up, can he have the magic two nights in a row? No he wasn't able to, now the game goes to the 12th inning.
The great thing about the Orioles they continue to find ways to win, unlike certain other teams they aren't choking. For instance the Dodgers, they've scored a total of two runs in the last 3 games. It seems three things in life are certain. Death, taxes and the Dodgers won't score 4 runs in a game. Once a Dodgers opponent scores 3 runs, the game is over. LA may also score 3 runs, but they won't get that 4th run.
Now the game has stretched into the bottom of the 12th inning. I wish I could be watching this game now. Adam Jones, not to be confused with the idiot Pacman Jones, is now up for the Orioles. And he wasn't able to do anything, now it's to the top of the 13th inning. Upton, Zobrist and Longoria weren't able to do anything in the top of the 13th inning, now can the Orioles end the game?
Bottom of the 13th: I haven't even heard of Endy Chavez, will the Venezuelan come through for the Orioles? He was able to get on base. Manny Machado is up for the Orioles. One person on and no outs, a double could win the game. Machado got on base, now two on and no one out. One of the hottest players in the league Mark Reynolds is up. Reynolds gets a hit, now it's bases loaded and still no outs. It's time for the Orioles to win, but the Rays get the first out. Robert Andino grounds into a fielder's choice. Matt Wieters is now up for the Orioles. Come on Matt, let's end it. Unfortunately he struck out swinging. Now Nate McLouth gets another chance to be a hero. All the Orioles need is a single! But no such luck so off to the 13th inning the game goes.
Brignac, Keppenger and Archer are up for the Rays as they nervously watch in New York, Tampa and Baltimore. Reid Brignac strikes out swinging, apparently that's spreading at Camden Yards. Mr. Jeff Keppenger had a single for the Rays. One out, one on. (Did I say I wish I was watching this game already?) Thankfully Mr. Archer bunted foul on strike 3. Two outs, one on and Molina is up. Molina gets another Rays single, but Keppenger only gets to second base. Two on, two out and now Joyce is up. Joyce strikes out and we go to the bottom of the 14th inning. The Orioles play "Take Me Out To the Ballgame Again", I guess that's for the 14th inning stretch.
Bottom of the 14th: Hardy, Ford and Jones will be up. Hardy fouls out to the shortstop. Lew Ford's stats aren't looking so good either. Predictably by his stats Ford is in an out. Come on Adam Jones, for everyone's sanity please come through with a home run! He didn't, but at least he got on base. Two outs, one on and my good friend Endy Chavez is up. Chavez doesn't have great stats either. But he comes through two on, two out. Come on Manny Machado! Machado is the hero, driving in the winning run. Orioles win 3-2 and now comes that hellacious stretch run.
I love pennant race baseball so much. Come on Boston score one for the American way and vanquish the Yankees.
themusicaddict
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Best Wishes To Jordan Wynn, Y-U Rivalry Week
Hello,
Yesterday Jordan Wynn announced that he's no longer going to play football for the University of Utah. He had suffered four major shoulder injures in his time at the U. He was knocked out for the season the last two seasons and may have been this season too. Apparently he has already graduated from the U. It seems like he could go after an advanced degree. He also has announced he will help Jon Hays and Travis Wilson in their preperations to play quarterback this season.
Coach Whittingham said that the quarterback job is open between Hays and Wilson. Hays played a lot last season and was the quarterback that led the Utes to their bowl victory last season. However Wilson is a true freshman and has the bigger upside. For me I'd go with Wilson and let him learn on the job. He should be a great quarterback for the Utes for the next almost 4 seasons.
Of course with the Utes coming off a loss to one rival and playing another rival this week, this isn't the best timing. But most coaches are worried about conference play, so maybe they'll think this is the best timing.
BYU-Utah should be quite a battle Saturday. Even though the game is at Utah Saturday, I'm cautiously optimistic that BYU will win. I'm alumni of the Utes, but cheer for BYU when they play for each other.
And as a BYU fan, the Cougars need to stand up and represent this Saturday. Utah put a 54-10 beating on the Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium last season. I'm not going to whine or complain, Utah was going to win that game no matter what. Utah was easily the superior team that day and wanted it more. That being said, last season's Cougar quarterback Jake Heaps, was absolutely terrible and I'm so glad that he transferred out of the program. He was a quarterback that thought he was as good as his reputation, but he wasn't. For the most part his two seasons in Provo were largely forgettable.
This was my enduring image of him in that Utah game. This happened near the start of the game and things went downhill from there for the Cougars:
themusicaddict
Yesterday Jordan Wynn announced that he's no longer going to play football for the University of Utah. He had suffered four major shoulder injures in his time at the U. He was knocked out for the season the last two seasons and may have been this season too. Apparently he has already graduated from the U. It seems like he could go after an advanced degree. He also has announced he will help Jon Hays and Travis Wilson in their preperations to play quarterback this season.
Coach Whittingham said that the quarterback job is open between Hays and Wilson. Hays played a lot last season and was the quarterback that led the Utes to their bowl victory last season. However Wilson is a true freshman and has the bigger upside. For me I'd go with Wilson and let him learn on the job. He should be a great quarterback for the Utes for the next almost 4 seasons.
Of course with the Utes coming off a loss to one rival and playing another rival this week, this isn't the best timing. But most coaches are worried about conference play, so maybe they'll think this is the best timing.
BYU-Utah should be quite a battle Saturday. Even though the game is at Utah Saturday, I'm cautiously optimistic that BYU will win. I'm alumni of the Utes, but cheer for BYU when they play for each other.
And as a BYU fan, the Cougars need to stand up and represent this Saturday. Utah put a 54-10 beating on the Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium last season. I'm not going to whine or complain, Utah was going to win that game no matter what. Utah was easily the superior team that day and wanted it more. That being said, last season's Cougar quarterback Jake Heaps, was absolutely terrible and I'm so glad that he transferred out of the program. He was a quarterback that thought he was as good as his reputation, but he wasn't. For the most part his two seasons in Provo were largely forgettable.
This was my enduring image of him in that Utah game. This happened near the start of the game and things went downhill from there for the Cougars:
themusicaddict
Monday, September 10, 2012
Is "Revolution" The New "Lost", Does It Really Want To Be?
Hello,
Thanks to the people over at Comcast I was able to see the series premiere of "Revolution". It's yet another show trying desperately to be the new "Lost". "Revolution" is a little more obvious about it though. The opening scene features Elizabeth Mitchell who plays Rachel Mathenson. Mitchell played Juliet on "Lost". The action then moves ahead 15 years later. Mitchell's character we are led to believe is dead. But is she really? I can almost hear the eerie "Lost" music.
There are only two reasons to have a fairly big name like Elizabeth Mitchell be in your series. Either to draw viewers or possibly to pass the torch to another show. I've noticed with modern television nothing is what it seems. I have a feeling we'll be seeing Elizabeth Mitchell sometime in this series. I would expect sooner rather than later.
Sorry for the digression, so what did I think of "Revolution". Honestly I quite liked it. It started out a little bit slow, but that's understandable as the story is being set up and the characters are being introduced. I think the show has a lot of potential as long as it doesn't get too weird like "Lost" did. I like many of the characters, although I do laugh that so many attractive people survive the apocalypse.
I wished last night that I could watch a second episode of "Revolution". I've been thinking a lot about it.
A few months ago I started watching "Lost" and I immediately fell in love with it and Kate of course. This show has so many great characters. But the show really hit a slow patch in the 4th season and I gave up watching it. However I've often wondered how does the show end, I don't want to stumble across something that gives me the end. I was at the library and saw they had season 5, but I couldn't remember where I had stopped watching the show. I grabbed it and went home and watched the review of the first four seasons and realized I had stopped somewhere in the 4th season. I missed why and how the Oceanic 6 got home.
But I didn't have Season 4 of "Lost" and I was in the mood though to watch "Lost". So I watched the first episode of Season 5 and honestly I was bored. Just some of the later characters are boring. Every time the character Daniel Faraday comes on screen, to me the show just stops. Also the show just gets too cute for it's own good. In spite of my reservations I still plan on slogging the about 2.5 seasons of "Lost". I hope it gets better than where I left off with it.
themusicaddict
Thanks to the people over at Comcast I was able to see the series premiere of "Revolution". It's yet another show trying desperately to be the new "Lost". "Revolution" is a little more obvious about it though. The opening scene features Elizabeth Mitchell who plays Rachel Mathenson. Mitchell played Juliet on "Lost". The action then moves ahead 15 years later. Mitchell's character we are led to believe is dead. But is she really? I can almost hear the eerie "Lost" music.
There are only two reasons to have a fairly big name like Elizabeth Mitchell be in your series. Either to draw viewers or possibly to pass the torch to another show. I've noticed with modern television nothing is what it seems. I have a feeling we'll be seeing Elizabeth Mitchell sometime in this series. I would expect sooner rather than later.
Sorry for the digression, so what did I think of "Revolution". Honestly I quite liked it. It started out a little bit slow, but that's understandable as the story is being set up and the characters are being introduced. I think the show has a lot of potential as long as it doesn't get too weird like "Lost" did. I like many of the characters, although I do laugh that so many attractive people survive the apocalypse.
I wished last night that I could watch a second episode of "Revolution". I've been thinking a lot about it.
A few months ago I started watching "Lost" and I immediately fell in love with it and Kate of course. This show has so many great characters. But the show really hit a slow patch in the 4th season and I gave up watching it. However I've often wondered how does the show end, I don't want to stumble across something that gives me the end. I was at the library and saw they had season 5, but I couldn't remember where I had stopped watching the show. I grabbed it and went home and watched the review of the first four seasons and realized I had stopped somewhere in the 4th season. I missed why and how the Oceanic 6 got home.
But I didn't have Season 4 of "Lost" and I was in the mood though to watch "Lost". So I watched the first episode of Season 5 and honestly I was bored. Just some of the later characters are boring. Every time the character Daniel Faraday comes on screen, to me the show just stops. Also the show just gets too cute for it's own good. In spite of my reservations I still plan on slogging the about 2.5 seasons of "Lost". I hope it gets better than where I left off with it.
themusicaddict
MLB's Bad Streaks, Braves Are Rolling
Hello,
I have hit this over and over again, but bear with me one more time. The frustrating consistent Dodgers failed to score enough runs to win last night. In fact, they didn't score any runs. Once San Francisco scored their 4th run that game was over. That continues a terrible trend ever since the big trade. Not only do the Dodgers have a losing record since the trade but their offense has shriveled. In the last 10 games, the Dodgers have scored a total of 25 runs. That averages out to 2.5 runs per game. I'm sure that the Dodgers ownership didn't pay over a quarter of a billion dollars to bring in Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Joe Blanton, Hanley Ramirez, Shane Victorino, Carl Crawford etc. just to barely have a chance of making the playoffs. Surprisingly the Dodgers are 1.5 games out of the NL Wild Card race. But they are clearly done. A team that can't score can't make the playoffs.
The Pirates had a chance to increase their playoff chances with a 3 game series against the Cubs, a team that's going nowhere. The Pirates were welcoming the Cubs to beautiful PNC Park for the 3 game series. How did the Pirates react to this good forturne? They completely melted down and were swept at home. The Pirates scored 7 runs in those three games, almost making the inept Dodgers offense look acceptable. The Pirates now travel to Cincinnati to play the team destroying the NL Central. The Reds lead second place St. Louis by 8.5 games. They lead Pittsburgh by 11.5 games. Right now Pittsburgh is only 5 games above .500. Although they are only 2.5 games back in the NL Wild Card their main concern should be to make sure they finish above .500.
Lastly and leastly comes the Boston Red Sox. The players are clearly making their feeling about Bobby Valentine well known by their play. They've lost 4 in a row and 11 of 12. I'm hoping with their heated rivals coming into town, the Yankees, that bile will propel them enough to grab a victory or two. Since Boston won't make the playoffs, how great would it be for them to prevent the Yankees from doing the same thing? But once a team shuts down for a season, which they clearly have done, it's very hard to get motivated again.
Let's not pretend that Valentine should be back next season. He's had the same corrosive effect on the Dodgers that the McCourts had on the Dodgers.
Thank goodness for the Atlanta Braves and how well they've been playing. At this rate though they'll be several games ahead of the second NL wild card team by the end of the season. Is that really the most fair system to have the two wild card teams play each other in a one game playoff. That system seems to reward the team that gets hot at the right time and not reward that team that has been excellent all season. Of course St Louis got hot at the right team last season and rode that all the way to a World Series victory. That seems like a punishment for a team that might be far ahead of the other wild card team.
themusicaddict
I have hit this over and over again, but bear with me one more time. The frustrating consistent Dodgers failed to score enough runs to win last night. In fact, they didn't score any runs. Once San Francisco scored their 4th run that game was over. That continues a terrible trend ever since the big trade. Not only do the Dodgers have a losing record since the trade but their offense has shriveled. In the last 10 games, the Dodgers have scored a total of 25 runs. That averages out to 2.5 runs per game. I'm sure that the Dodgers ownership didn't pay over a quarter of a billion dollars to bring in Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Joe Blanton, Hanley Ramirez, Shane Victorino, Carl Crawford etc. just to barely have a chance of making the playoffs. Surprisingly the Dodgers are 1.5 games out of the NL Wild Card race. But they are clearly done. A team that can't score can't make the playoffs.
The Pirates had a chance to increase their playoff chances with a 3 game series against the Cubs, a team that's going nowhere. The Pirates were welcoming the Cubs to beautiful PNC Park for the 3 game series. How did the Pirates react to this good forturne? They completely melted down and were swept at home. The Pirates scored 7 runs in those three games, almost making the inept Dodgers offense look acceptable. The Pirates now travel to Cincinnati to play the team destroying the NL Central. The Reds lead second place St. Louis by 8.5 games. They lead Pittsburgh by 11.5 games. Right now Pittsburgh is only 5 games above .500. Although they are only 2.5 games back in the NL Wild Card their main concern should be to make sure they finish above .500.
Lastly and leastly comes the Boston Red Sox. The players are clearly making their feeling about Bobby Valentine well known by their play. They've lost 4 in a row and 11 of 12. I'm hoping with their heated rivals coming into town, the Yankees, that bile will propel them enough to grab a victory or two. Since Boston won't make the playoffs, how great would it be for them to prevent the Yankees from doing the same thing? But once a team shuts down for a season, which they clearly have done, it's very hard to get motivated again.
Let's not pretend that Valentine should be back next season. He's had the same corrosive effect on the Dodgers that the McCourts had on the Dodgers.
Thank goodness for the Atlanta Braves and how well they've been playing. At this rate though they'll be several games ahead of the second NL wild card team by the end of the season. Is that really the most fair system to have the two wild card teams play each other in a one game playoff. That system seems to reward the team that gets hot at the right time and not reward that team that has been excellent all season. Of course St Louis got hot at the right team last season and rode that all the way to a World Series victory. That seems like a punishment for a team that might be far ahead of the other wild card team.
themusicaddict
Sunday, September 9, 2012
The Incredibly Consistent Dodgers Anemic Offense, Shutting Down Strasberg, Braves On Fire!
Hello,
See if you recognize a pattern here. In their last 9 games the Dodgers have scored 0, 3, 2, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 3 runs. They are averaging less than 3 runs in those 9 games. And they have scored exactly 3 runs in 4 of those 9 games, including 3 of the last 4 games. So I'm going to go out on a limb today and predict the Dodgers will score 3 runs today. I purposely left out their 10-8 August 29th victory over the Rockies, as the Dodgers scoring 10 runs in one game is now such an anomaly. The Dodgers have only scored 11 runs total in their last 4 games.
The third (there's that number again) game in the Dodgers-Giants series is Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. The expected pitching matchup is Clayton Kershaw vs. Barry Zito. With Kershaw pitching for the Dodgers, the Dodgers could actually win if they score three runs. With Chad Billingsley out for the season, the Dodgers starting rotation looks like it's in serious trouble. It's Kershaw and four other pitchers that are either below .500 or only one game above .500. It's doubtful that other than Kershaw, no starting Dodgers pitcher is going to scare anyone.
The Washington Nationals have decided to shut down Stephen Strasburg, 15-6, 3.16 ERA, for the rest of the season. I understand why the Nationals would limit Strasburg's innings. But if you are going to do that, but wouldn't you want to limit his innings at the start of the season? I understand that probably at the start of the season that Washington didn't think they were going to be as good as they are. They probably thought let's get Strasburg some work. He can pitch about 160 innings and by then we'll be out of the playoff race. Then we will shut him down for the rest of the season and he can come back in 2013 strong.
And I agree a player's health should always be the number one concern, even if the player doesn't like it. That's why I cringed when Jason Witten played for the Cowboys in their season opener, in spite of him wanting to play. But it's too bad for the Nationals that they won't go into the playoffs with all their bullets. If the Nationals don't win the World Series, which is probably a long shot anyway, there will always be a what if wondering how the Nationals would have done with Strasburg.
I like what the Braves have done with Kris Medlen. Like Strasburg, Medlen was coming off of Tommy John surgery, and the Braves claimed they had wanted to limit his innings as well. Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez said this when comparing Medlen and Strasburg's situations: "Where do we want that 160 to 170 to end? Do we want it to end in October or do we want it to end in August?"
Who knows how insightful they really were about Medlen's status, but he certainly has made an major impact on the Braves starting rotation. Medlen pitched for the Braves in their 11-3 victory over the Mets yesterday. So far this season Medlen has pitched 110 innings. Typically he'd have 4 or 5 more starts in the regular season, that would put him about 140 innings. Or with the Braves having a 98.6% chance of making the playoffs, maybe they will extend the time between his starts. The results have been amazing for the Braves the last several times Medlen has pitched for them. Atlanta has won the last 19 games he has started. Medlen is 13-0 in his last 24 starts. (Thanks as always for the excellent stats to espn.com.)
Usually the Braves make the playoffs and the collapse, hopefully in honor of Chipper Jones last season, they will actually make a deep run in the playoffs. And I'm glad they will have Kris Medlen during this crucial time of the season. The Braves are pulling away from the rest of the National League in the Wild Card playoffs. They lead the next team in the NL Wild Card, the Cardinals, by 5.5 games. In fact, the Braves have a better record than the NL West leading Giants. At this rate Atlanta will be well ahead of St. Louis at the end of the season. Is the one game Wild Card playoff really a good idea?
The Braves, winners of 4 in a row, are going for the sweep of the Mets today. Atlanta has a relatively easy schedule down the stretch run and SHOULD coast into the playoffs. They even have a very long shot of catching the Nationals. Even though they play the Nationals 3 more times, I just don't see them catching Washington.
I plan on writing about "Revolution" and Madonna in upcoming blogs.
themusicaddict
See if you recognize a pattern here. In their last 9 games the Dodgers have scored 0, 3, 2, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 3 runs. They are averaging less than 3 runs in those 9 games. And they have scored exactly 3 runs in 4 of those 9 games, including 3 of the last 4 games. So I'm going to go out on a limb today and predict the Dodgers will score 3 runs today. I purposely left out their 10-8 August 29th victory over the Rockies, as the Dodgers scoring 10 runs in one game is now such an anomaly. The Dodgers have only scored 11 runs total in their last 4 games.
The third (there's that number again) game in the Dodgers-Giants series is Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. The expected pitching matchup is Clayton Kershaw vs. Barry Zito. With Kershaw pitching for the Dodgers, the Dodgers could actually win if they score three runs. With Chad Billingsley out for the season, the Dodgers starting rotation looks like it's in serious trouble. It's Kershaw and four other pitchers that are either below .500 or only one game above .500. It's doubtful that other than Kershaw, no starting Dodgers pitcher is going to scare anyone.
The Washington Nationals have decided to shut down Stephen Strasburg, 15-6, 3.16 ERA, for the rest of the season. I understand why the Nationals would limit Strasburg's innings. But if you are going to do that, but wouldn't you want to limit his innings at the start of the season? I understand that probably at the start of the season that Washington didn't think they were going to be as good as they are. They probably thought let's get Strasburg some work. He can pitch about 160 innings and by then we'll be out of the playoff race. Then we will shut him down for the rest of the season and he can come back in 2013 strong.
And I agree a player's health should always be the number one concern, even if the player doesn't like it. That's why I cringed when Jason Witten played for the Cowboys in their season opener, in spite of him wanting to play. But it's too bad for the Nationals that they won't go into the playoffs with all their bullets. If the Nationals don't win the World Series, which is probably a long shot anyway, there will always be a what if wondering how the Nationals would have done with Strasburg.
I like what the Braves have done with Kris Medlen. Like Strasburg, Medlen was coming off of Tommy John surgery, and the Braves claimed they had wanted to limit his innings as well. Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez said this when comparing Medlen and Strasburg's situations: "Where do we want that 160 to 170 to end? Do we want it to end in October or do we want it to end in August?"
Who knows how insightful they really were about Medlen's status, but he certainly has made an major impact on the Braves starting rotation. Medlen pitched for the Braves in their 11-3 victory over the Mets yesterday. So far this season Medlen has pitched 110 innings. Typically he'd have 4 or 5 more starts in the regular season, that would put him about 140 innings. Or with the Braves having a 98.6% chance of making the playoffs, maybe they will extend the time between his starts. The results have been amazing for the Braves the last several times Medlen has pitched for them. Atlanta has won the last 19 games he has started. Medlen is 13-0 in his last 24 starts. (Thanks as always for the excellent stats to espn.com.)
Usually the Braves make the playoffs and the collapse, hopefully in honor of Chipper Jones last season, they will actually make a deep run in the playoffs. And I'm glad they will have Kris Medlen during this crucial time of the season. The Braves are pulling away from the rest of the National League in the Wild Card playoffs. They lead the next team in the NL Wild Card, the Cardinals, by 5.5 games. In fact, the Braves have a better record than the NL West leading Giants. At this rate Atlanta will be well ahead of St. Louis at the end of the season. Is the one game Wild Card playoff really a good idea?
The Braves, winners of 4 in a row, are going for the sweep of the Mets today. Atlanta has a relatively easy schedule down the stretch run and SHOULD coast into the playoffs. They even have a very long shot of catching the Nationals. Even though they play the Nationals 3 more times, I just don't see them catching Washington.
I plan on writing about "Revolution" and Madonna in upcoming blogs.
themusicaddict
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Utah State-Utah, Jordan Wynn Must Go, BYU Coasts
Hello,
Utah State beat Utah yesterday in Logan 27-20 in overtime. This isn't as big of an upset as some would suggest. This isn't your father's, or even your older brother's Aggies team. This is a new Aggie team, Aggies 2.0 if you will,that finally has a legitimate head coach in Gary Anderson. Frankly the Aggies played like they had a bit of a chip on their shoulder. They probably got as sick of hearing about how they last beat Utah in 1997 and lost 12 games in a row to them as I did. I usually like ESPN's college football announcers, but I think they referred to that stat a few hundred too many times. The Aggies also have a great quarterback in Chuckie Keaton. In fact, Keaton could be the best quarterback of all the Utah schools.
The Utes looked better with both backups playing. Jon Hays is a senior and this is his second year in the program. Travis Wilson is both the wildcat and third string quarterback. He's a freshman and this is his first year in the Ute program.
I'm not sure if Travis Wilson is the second best quarterback in the state of Utah now, but if not he's very close. Wilson is the Ute's future and he needs to be handed the reins as soon as possible. Demote Wynn to the scout team, that way he could still contribute. Keep Jon Hays as the back up, he looks to have vastly improved since last season. If I was Coach Whit, alleged starter Wynn would never play for my Utes again. He obviously isn't tough enough to play football. I'm not sure why he was named the starter this season. Even when he was in the game it was clear that his coaches didn't trust him. It was a very conservative game plan, calling a bunch of running plays. Even when they called for passing plays, it was very simple passes he threw. He's not a good quarterback. I know that I don't go to practices and obviously Whittingham saw something in Wynn. However I've yet to see Wynn show that in a game. His last name is so ironic, his name should be Jordan Injury.
I don't wish anything ill to happen to Wynn, but it's obviously time to move on from his football career. BYU use to have a running back by the name of Luke Staley. He was a great player and showed a lot of promise. However he kept on getting injured. If I remember right he skipped his senior season and was drafted into the NFL. He joined the Lions and got injured again. That was the last I heard of him. Wynn isn't even the same quality of player that Staley was. Wynn should finish his degree and start figuring out what he wants to do after college.
And the Pac 12 is highly overrated. They have the perception of being a real conference, but there isn't much after USC and Oregon. Utah marks the third Pac 12 team to be upset in the first part of the season. The Buffaloes lost at home to Colorado State. And Cal opened their new stadium last week and lost to a perennially average Nevada team. Nebraska is going to crush UCLA today. And Washington could lose by 30 to LSU, although I would love to see the Huskies knock off LSU. I'm so tired of them and Les Miles. Good news: Washington did jump out to a 3-0 lead. Bad news: LSU scored the next 41 points. USC will represent the over rated Pac 12 by defeating Syracuse on the road. USC did win this game 42-29, but it was probably closer than many people expected. And the parts of the game I saw USC didn't look very good.
It didn't help the Pac 12 any when California struggles against SUU. By the way USU thrashed SUU last week by a 34-3 score. California pulled away late and won big, but it was close through the end of the third quarter. Colorado is now 0-2 at home, after losing to Sacramento State 30-28. Again I understand why the Utes got a Pac 12 invite. They actually had played and won some big games. I still have fond memories of the Utes dominating Alabama. They are also 2-0 in BCS games. I just don't understand how Colorado got a Pac 12 invite. They haven't been relevant in football in about 20 years. I watched some of that game on the Pac 12 network and honestly their camera work sucked. Again the Pac 12 Network is going to turn out to be a bad idea.
The Pac 12 had three big wins today. Oregon State did get a big win for the Pac 12 today, they defeated Wisconsin 10-7 in a very low scoring game. Too bad OSU wasn't able to run up the score, as that was something Wisconsin has done to many other teams in the recent past. It was the Pac 12's first highlight of the day. I was very surprised by UCLA's 36-30 win over #16 Nebraska. I thought Nebraska was going to destroy UCLA. Maybe this is a much better UCLA team than the last few years. Also Arizona put a 59-38 whipping on #18 Oklahoma State.
And as for my team, BYU, I'm embarrassed they played Weber State today. I suggested that if BYU doesn't win by 40 points, then it would be considered an upset. According to my standard, it was an upset. BYU "only" won 45-13. I was glad to see backup QB James Lark get some plays under his belt. With Riley Nelson's reckless style of play, one never know when the the backup quarterback is going to be needed.
Next week is the annual battle between BYU and Utah. This will be the last game in Salt Lake until 2016 as the Utes have came up with some wimpy excuses why they can't play BYU. Sadly for Utah, it's what happens when you sell your soul to the Pac 12 and for money.
Go Cougars!
themusicaddict
Utah State beat Utah yesterday in Logan 27-20 in overtime. This isn't as big of an upset as some would suggest. This isn't your father's, or even your older brother's Aggies team. This is a new Aggie team, Aggies 2.0 if you will,that finally has a legitimate head coach in Gary Anderson. Frankly the Aggies played like they had a bit of a chip on their shoulder. They probably got as sick of hearing about how they last beat Utah in 1997 and lost 12 games in a row to them as I did. I usually like ESPN's college football announcers, but I think they referred to that stat a few hundred too many times. The Aggies also have a great quarterback in Chuckie Keaton. In fact, Keaton could be the best quarterback of all the Utah schools.
The Utes looked better with both backups playing. Jon Hays is a senior and this is his second year in the program. Travis Wilson is both the wildcat and third string quarterback. He's a freshman and this is his first year in the Ute program.
I'm not sure if Travis Wilson is the second best quarterback in the state of Utah now, but if not he's very close. Wilson is the Ute's future and he needs to be handed the reins as soon as possible. Demote Wynn to the scout team, that way he could still contribute. Keep Jon Hays as the back up, he looks to have vastly improved since last season. If I was Coach Whit, alleged starter Wynn would never play for my Utes again. He obviously isn't tough enough to play football. I'm not sure why he was named the starter this season. Even when he was in the game it was clear that his coaches didn't trust him. It was a very conservative game plan, calling a bunch of running plays. Even when they called for passing plays, it was very simple passes he threw. He's not a good quarterback. I know that I don't go to practices and obviously Whittingham saw something in Wynn. However I've yet to see Wynn show that in a game. His last name is so ironic, his name should be Jordan Injury.
I don't wish anything ill to happen to Wynn, but it's obviously time to move on from his football career. BYU use to have a running back by the name of Luke Staley. He was a great player and showed a lot of promise. However he kept on getting injured. If I remember right he skipped his senior season and was drafted into the NFL. He joined the Lions and got injured again. That was the last I heard of him. Wynn isn't even the same quality of player that Staley was. Wynn should finish his degree and start figuring out what he wants to do after college.
And the Pac 12 is highly overrated. They have the perception of being a real conference, but there isn't much after USC and Oregon. Utah marks the third Pac 12 team to be upset in the first part of the season. The Buffaloes lost at home to Colorado State. And Cal opened their new stadium last week and lost to a perennially average Nevada team. Nebraska is going to crush UCLA today. And Washington could lose by 30 to LSU, although I would love to see the Huskies knock off LSU. I'm so tired of them and Les Miles. Good news: Washington did jump out to a 3-0 lead. Bad news: LSU scored the next 41 points. USC will represent the over rated Pac 12 by defeating Syracuse on the road. USC did win this game 42-29, but it was probably closer than many people expected. And the parts of the game I saw USC didn't look very good.
It didn't help the Pac 12 any when California struggles against SUU. By the way USU thrashed SUU last week by a 34-3 score. California pulled away late and won big, but it was close through the end of the third quarter. Colorado is now 0-2 at home, after losing to Sacramento State 30-28. Again I understand why the Utes got a Pac 12 invite. They actually had played and won some big games. I still have fond memories of the Utes dominating Alabama. They are also 2-0 in BCS games. I just don't understand how Colorado got a Pac 12 invite. They haven't been relevant in football in about 20 years. I watched some of that game on the Pac 12 network and honestly their camera work sucked. Again the Pac 12 Network is going to turn out to be a bad idea.
The Pac 12 had three big wins today. Oregon State did get a big win for the Pac 12 today, they defeated Wisconsin 10-7 in a very low scoring game. Too bad OSU wasn't able to run up the score, as that was something Wisconsin has done to many other teams in the recent past. It was the Pac 12's first highlight of the day. I was very surprised by UCLA's 36-30 win over #16 Nebraska. I thought Nebraska was going to destroy UCLA. Maybe this is a much better UCLA team than the last few years. Also Arizona put a 59-38 whipping on #18 Oklahoma State.
And as for my team, BYU, I'm embarrassed they played Weber State today. I suggested that if BYU doesn't win by 40 points, then it would be considered an upset. According to my standard, it was an upset. BYU "only" won 45-13. I was glad to see backup QB James Lark get some plays under his belt. With Riley Nelson's reckless style of play, one never know when the the backup quarterback is going to be needed.
Next week is the annual battle between BYU and Utah. This will be the last game in Salt Lake until 2016 as the Utes have came up with some wimpy excuses why they can't play BYU. Sadly for Utah, it's what happens when you sell your soul to the Pac 12 and for money.
Go Cougars!
themusicaddict
Thursday, September 6, 2012
I Love Pennant Race Baseball, 9/6/12 Part 2: Orioles and Nationals Are Making Noise
Hello,
Again there were only 5 games played in Major League Baseball today. Two of them were very critical to the playoff races. (I wouldn't say the Nationals game is a critical game, they almost assuredly will make the playoffs.) Earlier I wrote about the Braves big 1-0 win today over the Colorado Rockies. The second critical game was Baltimore-New York. I got home from work in time to see the bottom of the 8th inning to the end of the game. I'm going to set the stage first. Matt Wieters had hit a three run home run in the bottom of the 1st inning to lead the Orioles to a 4-0 lead. Each team then scored 1 run in the 4th inning, the Orioles led 5-1. Matt Reynolds later added his 19th home run of the season to give the Orioles a 6-1 lead. So obviously the game is in the bag right?
Um no, this is pennant race baseball. For every team in the pennant race each game is so much more crucial than earlier in the season. The Yankees are fighting to stop their collapse, Joe Girardi even called a meeting yesterday. Then there's the Orioles, frankly an afterthought in MLB for so many years. How much longer will the Orioles remain relevant in this pennant race. I suggest they answered that question tonight. Another favorable omen for the Orioles was unveiling the statue in honor of Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak 17 years ago tonight. I remember watching the end of that game. The Orioles were pathetic that season and that was their highlight of the season. When was the last time the Orioles played a meaningful game in September? Answer; 1997. The Orioles have had 14 straight losing seasons. (Thanks as always to espn.com.)
No the game isn't over, the Yankees aren't going quietly into that good night. Thanks to 3 hits and 4 walks the Yankees tied the game at 6 going into the bottom of the 8th inning. New York has grabbed back the momentum. Oriole fans are thinking oh no, here we go again. But don't worry Orioles fans Mark Reynolds, Matt Wieters and Adam Jones are determined that the Orioles won't lose tonight.
Ace Yankees reliever David Robertson comes into the game, with a less than 3.00 ERA. Robertson faces Adam Jones, the first Orioles of the inning. Jones gets a ball he can hit and promptly sends it 422 feet to give the Orioles the 7-6 lead. Robertson has been pitching so well all season, obviously he won't give up anymore runs, right? One can never know in pennant race baseball. Wieters, one of the heroes of the game, bats and gets a single. The Orioles have already scored one run this inning, have a runner on first base and there are no outs.
Next up is Reynolds, surely the on fire hitter is due for an out? Right? No, he promptly hits the ball 368 feet to left field. It's his second home run of the night and his 20th of the year. He has now hit 8 home runs in his last 7 games. Wieters scores ahead of him and the Orioles lead 9-6. Surely the bleeding for the Yankees has now stopped, right? No! Boone Logan came in for the Yankees and had surely one of the shortest appearances in Major League Baseball ever. He pitched one pitch, which resulted in a 377 foot home run by Chris Davis, before Joe Girardi pulled him from the game. Baltimore now led 10-6.
Former Dodger, former Red Sox, former Brave Derek Lowe then came into the game. He got the three outs and finally got the Yankees out of the inning. Other than a harmless single by Robinson Cano, the Yankees went meekly in the top of the 9th inning.
Now we are back to having a tie in the AL East. Both the Orioles and the Yankees are 77-60 this season. The Orioles continue to defy expectations and the Yankees continue to collapse. Looking at their last 10 games, one might guess that the Yankees are the team that' 7-3 over their last 10 games. But no it's Baltimore that is 7-3 over their last 10, and 10-3 over their last 13 games. Meanwhile the Yankees have stumbled to a 3-7 record over their last 10 games.
That was an exciting game and there are still 3 more games left in this series. Keep up the good work Baltimore.
Previously I referred to both the Dodgers and Pirates less than sizzling records against below average teams in these pennant races. I'm hoping the Dodgers and Pirates took some notes from the Washington Nationals on how to close out an inferior team. The Nationals just swept a 4 game series from the Chicago Cubs. Other than the first game, this series was complete domination. The Nationals out scored the Cubs 31-9, including 18-3 in the last two games. Washington is now 85-52 and have run away from the rest of the NL East. To give you some perspective the Nationals lead the second place Braves by 7.5 games. The Braves have the 4th best record in MLB and a 93.3% chance of making the playoffs. Also from espn.com, Washington has a 99.9% chance of making the playoffs.
themusicaddict
Again there were only 5 games played in Major League Baseball today. Two of them were very critical to the playoff races. (I wouldn't say the Nationals game is a critical game, they almost assuredly will make the playoffs.) Earlier I wrote about the Braves big 1-0 win today over the Colorado Rockies. The second critical game was Baltimore-New York. I got home from work in time to see the bottom of the 8th inning to the end of the game. I'm going to set the stage first. Matt Wieters had hit a three run home run in the bottom of the 1st inning to lead the Orioles to a 4-0 lead. Each team then scored 1 run in the 4th inning, the Orioles led 5-1. Matt Reynolds later added his 19th home run of the season to give the Orioles a 6-1 lead. So obviously the game is in the bag right?
Um no, this is pennant race baseball. For every team in the pennant race each game is so much more crucial than earlier in the season. The Yankees are fighting to stop their collapse, Joe Girardi even called a meeting yesterday. Then there's the Orioles, frankly an afterthought in MLB for so many years. How much longer will the Orioles remain relevant in this pennant race. I suggest they answered that question tonight. Another favorable omen for the Orioles was unveiling the statue in honor of Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak 17 years ago tonight. I remember watching the end of that game. The Orioles were pathetic that season and that was their highlight of the season. When was the last time the Orioles played a meaningful game in September? Answer; 1997. The Orioles have had 14 straight losing seasons. (Thanks as always to espn.com.)
No the game isn't over, the Yankees aren't going quietly into that good night. Thanks to 3 hits and 4 walks the Yankees tied the game at 6 going into the bottom of the 8th inning. New York has grabbed back the momentum. Oriole fans are thinking oh no, here we go again. But don't worry Orioles fans Mark Reynolds, Matt Wieters and Adam Jones are determined that the Orioles won't lose tonight.
Ace Yankees reliever David Robertson comes into the game, with a less than 3.00 ERA. Robertson faces Adam Jones, the first Orioles of the inning. Jones gets a ball he can hit and promptly sends it 422 feet to give the Orioles the 7-6 lead. Robertson has been pitching so well all season, obviously he won't give up anymore runs, right? One can never know in pennant race baseball. Wieters, one of the heroes of the game, bats and gets a single. The Orioles have already scored one run this inning, have a runner on first base and there are no outs.
Next up is Reynolds, surely the on fire hitter is due for an out? Right? No, he promptly hits the ball 368 feet to left field. It's his second home run of the night and his 20th of the year. He has now hit 8 home runs in his last 7 games. Wieters scores ahead of him and the Orioles lead 9-6. Surely the bleeding for the Yankees has now stopped, right? No! Boone Logan came in for the Yankees and had surely one of the shortest appearances in Major League Baseball ever. He pitched one pitch, which resulted in a 377 foot home run by Chris Davis, before Joe Girardi pulled him from the game. Baltimore now led 10-6.
Former Dodger, former Red Sox, former Brave Derek Lowe then came into the game. He got the three outs and finally got the Yankees out of the inning. Other than a harmless single by Robinson Cano, the Yankees went meekly in the top of the 9th inning.
Now we are back to having a tie in the AL East. Both the Orioles and the Yankees are 77-60 this season. The Orioles continue to defy expectations and the Yankees continue to collapse. Looking at their last 10 games, one might guess that the Yankees are the team that' 7-3 over their last 10 games. But no it's Baltimore that is 7-3 over their last 10, and 10-3 over their last 13 games. Meanwhile the Yankees have stumbled to a 3-7 record over their last 10 games.
That was an exciting game and there are still 3 more games left in this series. Keep up the good work Baltimore.
Previously I referred to both the Dodgers and Pirates less than sizzling records against below average teams in these pennant races. I'm hoping the Dodgers and Pirates took some notes from the Washington Nationals on how to close out an inferior team. The Nationals just swept a 4 game series from the Chicago Cubs. Other than the first game, this series was complete domination. The Nationals out scored the Cubs 31-9, including 18-3 in the last two games. Washington is now 85-52 and have run away from the rest of the NL East. To give you some perspective the Nationals lead the second place Braves by 7.5 games. The Braves have the 4th best record in MLB and a 93.3% chance of making the playoffs. Also from espn.com, Washington has a 99.9% chance of making the playoffs.
themusicaddict
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