You Know What?

I believe in moral victories.

And I think tonight was one for the Buckeyes.

You know what else?

I hate when I'm right sometimes. The following is a Fiesta Bowl Prediction by me:

"I don't think they have quite enough. I think they get some national credibility back, but lose 28-23, thanks to a Colt McCoy last minute touchdown."

Bah.

I still believe that TP will bring a National Title to Columbus, but for now, all I have to say is:

Go Cavs, Go Steelers.

The BCS and WWII

So, yeah, I'm stealing this from someone, who stole it from someone. But I don't know who they stole it from. If you know the original author, feel free to let me know.

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BCS DECLARES GERMANY WINNER OF WORLD WAR II

US Ranked 4th

After determining the Big-12 championship game participants the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.

"Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work--including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking."

Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS commissioner stated "The US only had two major victories--Japan and Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren't influenced by head-to-head contests--they consider each contest to be only a single, equally-weighted event."

German Chancellor Adolf Hiter said "Yes, we lost to the US; but we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks." Herr Hitler has been criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn 'style points' to enhance Germany's rankings. Hitler protested "Our contest with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional forces."
The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented " France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2."

Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo and the Philippines.

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The Score

It's odd when a celebrity passes away. One that you've never met, one that you've never had any real connection with. But, odder still when one passes away who connected with you, who actually had an impact on your life.

I'm not sure I've experienced that in my young life ... until today. Herb Score passed away today. The former pitcher and broadcaster for the Indians.

If you're unfamiliar with Herb Score, his professional career is a wonderful symbol of Cleveland sports in general. Promising young talent, only to have a catastrophic injury end his career, and along with it, the hope that he would lead Cleveland to the promised land.

But, it's not his playing career that connects him to me, it's his broadcasting career. He spent 34 years as the voice of the Indians, including the first 16 years of my life. In some ways, by listening to him on the radio night after night after night, Herb Score helped to raise me. He was a constant voice in my life. And, knowing he was retiring, part of the reason the loss to the Marlins in 1997 hurt so much (not that it needed much help, mind you).

And so ... it's an interesting feeling. Not the empty feeling and despair of losing a friend or a family member. But, not the unattached feeling of losing someone that you just hear about in passing and have no connection at all to.

Still ... I'll always have good memories of Herb Score. Calls only he could make like "Belle hits it to left field and ... it caught. No, its a home run!" or the magical call in 1995 when the Indians beat the Orioles to clinch the Central Division Title.

Rest in peace, Herb. I'll keep hope alive that one year, the Tribe will win a ring for you, yet.

NBA Stat Geek

So, there's no secret to the fact that I'm a math geek. There's also no secret to the fact that I'm a big sports guy. And, there's no secret that there's a human nature to attempt to combine the things you like.

Having said that, after a good bit of work on it, I've developed my own mathematical formula for ranking NBA teams. I'll leave the specifics of how I formulate scores to myself, but I'll share a little about how I wanted to develop them:

reward team that can impose their will during stretches of a game on both offense and defense

punish teams that get dominated during stretches of a game on both offense and defense

give teams credit for winning games

punish teams for losing games they should have won

And, that's it. I debated a few other factors, like margin of victory, or superstar presence, but decided those would be less unbiased and less helpful in predicting the best teams in the league. I'm hoping to keep up with it, and keep publishing my rankings periodically.

So, here they are, my first rankings, to share with you:

Rank | Team | score
1. Boston 2.72
2. Utah 2.37
3. LA Lakers 2.2
4. Atlanta 1.87
5. New York 1.87
6. Houston 1.78
7. Phoenix 1.26
8. Orlando 1.21
9. Toronto 1.21
10. Miami 1.04
11. Indiana 0.94
12. Cleveland 0.92
13. Detroit 0.88
14. Denver 0.71
15. Chicago 0.64
16. Golden State 0.5
17. Portland 0.38
18. Minnesota 0.38
19. New Jersey 0.28
20. San Antonio 0.08
21. Philadelphia -0.12
22. Sacramento -0.36
23. New Orleans -0.45
24. Dallas -0.45
25. Charlotte -0.45
26. Milwaukee -0.69
27. Memphis -0.69
28. Washington -0.78
29. LA Clippers -1.64
30. Oklahoma City -2.61

Hope

They say it springs eternal.

They say it's one of the three things that remains (along with faith and love).

They say Obi-Wan Kenobi is the only.

And it's something I couldn't live without.


When Rachel and I made the decision to move to Columbus, there was faith involved, there was love involved, but most of all, there was hope involved. Hope that this painful decision would result in our ability to advance in live, and thrive, and find abundance.

I've yet to see evidence that our hope and faith were completely off the mark. Nothing of full fruition, yet, but enough to keep me going.

But, today, I write of hope of another kind.

Because, I have the hope that tonight is, honestly, the beginning of the end for the sports misery of my home town. For tonight, I honestly believe that the Cleveland Cavaliers will defeat the Boston Celtics, and march forward this year, ending with a parade in Cleveland to celebrate the winning of the NBA Finals.

I know, I know. I had a similar good feeling about the Indians this year. But, consider the following:

1) Unlike the Indians, the Cavaliers did something to upgrade their team in the offseason. And, the trade only cost them spare parts and junk.

2) Unlike just about any time in my memory, the Cavaliers, unlike every other team I root for, showcase the best player in the sport, and he's not even into his prime yet.

So, tonight, I return to the very place I sat and watched the Cavaliers lose game seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals a few months ago. The Cavaliers also return to the exact spot where they lost game seven a few months ago.

This is the year. I can feel it. I believe it. I have hope.

Michigan Sucks (More Proof)

My favorite highlight of the NFL this weekend, and possibly all season:




This is, in comedic value, second only to the quadruple-penalty dropped-snap punt by the Browns in last years opener against the Steelers in recent memory.

One-Thousand, Four-Hundred Thirty-Two

1,432 days until the London 2012 Olympics begin.

I'm such an Olympics junkie.

At least it's a lot shorter until Vancouver 2010.

Once Again

Rick Reilly is spot on

Give the article a read.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with the backstory, but I am. And when the latest element of this saga broke public, I was sickened by it. Mainly because, as the story started, I was so encouraged by it.

I think this paragraph sums it up perfectly:

---

2nd Lt. Campbell felt like he was hit in the nose with a shovel. Every day during his four years at West Point, he was reminded of and lived by the Cadet Honor Code: A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. Instead the Army lied to 2nd Lt. Caleb Campbell. Now he gets to tolerate it.

---

I hope one day Caleb Campbell makes it to the NFL.

I just wish it were going to happen this season.

A New #1

On my list of people who just need to shut up and go away:

Brett Favre.

Oh Happy Day!

This ... is a good day in my household.



Casey Blake is traded!


If I could do a backflip ... I would.


This is the silver lining I needed on this horrible Indians' season.

On Second Thought

Maybe golf will be boring to watch on television for the rest of the year

...

...

...

Tiger Woods to have season-ending knee surgery

Makes me appreciate the effort at the US Open all that much more ...

Also gets Tiger a permanent place on the "All Testicles" team, along side greats like Michael Jordan and Byron Leftwich.

Wow

...


...


...


And they say golf is boring to watch on TV.

I'd Love to Hear this Explanation

So, the College Football Hall of Fame announced their newest class today. That link has a story about the two big names, Lou Holtz and Troy Aikman, and a rundown of the rest of the inductees.

But if you scroll to the bottom of the article, you'll see that Lou Holtz wasn't the only coach on this year's list.

John Cooper.

Yes, that John Cooper.

He's a Hall of Famer.


There must be some M*ch*g*n people on the voting committee ... or some drunk people. Or possibly both.

Maybe?

You have to love errors on espn.com:

The Difference Between a King and a Pawn

If you watched the Cavs game yesterday, you heard them reference (several times) a freestyle rap from Jay-Z that dissed the Wizards and Deshawn Stevenson.

A quick internet search turned it up. It's by no means a great song, and it's full of adult lyrics, so be warned if you choose to listen to it. A couple of funny lines though. And with all the hype it was given, I figured it's only fair to share it:

boomp3.com

NFL Draft/My Mock Draft

Today is the NFL Draft. I love the NFL Draft. On one level, it's mindless fun spent wasting time talking about sports. And I have to love that. And on the other hand, it's hope springing eternal, the promise of potential combined with a chance to make that potential reality. And who can't love that.

This year's draft is wide open. The worst way to describe this draft is "top heavy". You can almost get the same value in the middle or end of the first round as you can get at the top of it.

So, with that said, I'm going to provide my Mock Draft for the second year in a row, and hopefully do a little better this year.

And, I'm at least guaranteed one right pick.

1. Miami Dolphins: OT Jake Long, Michigan
2. St. Louis Rams: DT Glenn Dorsey, LSU
3. Atlanta Falcons: QB Matt Ryan, Boston College
4. Oakland Raiders: RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas
5. Kansas City Chiefs: DE Chris Long, Virginia
6. New York Jets: DE/OLB Vernon Gholston, Ohio State
7. New England Patriots: OLD Keith Rivers, USC
8. Baltimore Ravens: CB Leodis McKelvin, Troy
9. Cincinnati Bengals: DT Sedrick Ellis, USC
10. New Orleans Saints: CB Mike Jenkins, USF
11. Buffalo Bills: WR Devin Thomas, Michigan State
12. Denver Broncos: OG Branden Albert, Virginia
13. Carolina Panthers: OT Ryan Clady, Boise St
14. Chicago Bears: RB Reshard Mendenhall, Illinois
15. Detroit Lions: DE Derrick Harvey, Florida
16. Arizona Cardinals: RB Jonathon Stewart, Oregon
17. Kansas City Chiefs: OT Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh
18. Houston Texans: OT Chriss Williams, Vanderbilt
19. Philadelphia Eagles: CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee St
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: WR DeSean Jackson, Cal
21. Washington Redskins: DE Philip Merling, Clemson
22. Dallas Cowboys: CB Aqib Talib, Kansas
23. Pittsburgh Steelers: OT Gosder Cherilus, Boston College
24. Tennessee Titans: WR Limas Sweed, Texas
25. Seattle Seahawks: LB Jerod Mayo, Tennessee
26. Jacksonville Jaguars: DE Quentin Groves, Clemson
27. San Diego Chargers: RB Felix Jones, Arkansas
28. Dallas Cowboys: WR Malcom Kelly, Kansas
29. San Fransisco 49ers: DT Kentwan Balmer, North Carolina
30. Green Bay Packers: S Kenny Philips, Miami
31. New York Giants: CB Brandon Flowers, Virginia Tech


And so, most of these will probably be wrong. But I'll be happy. I like Cherilus to the Steelers. A lot of early mocks had Pittsburgh going O-Line, but have shifted of late. I'll be disappointed if we leave round one with Jonathon Stewart, as the SI.com beat writer mock had happen. Better value in OT round one and RB round two (maybe Ray Rice from Rutgers in Rd 2?)

I'd also like to go on record as saying that Brian Brohm is a better quarterback than Matt Ryan, and that whoever trades up into round one to get Brohm is getting a great quarterback. I also think Henne and Flaco are headed for quick career exits and that Brohm is the best quarterback on the board. Of course, if I needed a franchise quarterback, I'd either try to get Brohm, or wait till day two and get a steal in Dennis Dixon from Oregon.

Where Amazing Happens

The NBA's current marketing tagline is "where amazing happens".

And today, that really came to pass. In a big way.

It's sometimes hard to get excited for first-round match-ups in the NBA playoffs. With, you know, 16/30 NBA teams making the playoffs, juggernauts up against pathetic squads, and teams half mailing it in, it's usually not a great product.

Today, that was not the case.

First, you had Gilbert Arenas doing his best A-Rod impersonation. You know ... if A-Rod is Mr. April because he shows up big in April and then fades in October, than we need to call Gilbert Arenas Mr. First Quarter, because he came up clutch with a buzzer beater there, but was nowhere to be found when his team needed a big shot in the fourth. Throw in that amazing dunk by LeBron (you know, this one) and that game was awesome.

Then you had arguably the greatest game one of a first round series in NBA history. That Suns-Spurs game was simply phenomenal. The foul trouble, the clutch shots, the poor decisions, the amazing individual plays, the strategies and counter-strategies. If you want to convince someone to become an NBA fan, I think you'd show them that game. And it might be enough.

Throw in an amazing meltdown by the Mavericks and a road win by the Jazz (who if they can win on the road can be the best team in the league ... oh, and **** you Carlos Boozer), and this was just an amazing day for the NBA.

I hear a lot of people wonder if they can follow the NBA and wonder if it can capture their attention and imagination. Today, that answer was a resounding yes. And I've no reason to believe it wasn't simply the first of many days like that over the course of the playoffs.

Baseball is my first love, and it takes quite a bit to get me to focus on a sport other than baseball this time of the year. But today, the NBA did that.

And while it is where Amazing happens, I think they could also steal baseball's tagline today:

I live for this.

wow

I've been rough on CC and Borowski in the last few days, but at least they've never done anything quite like this.

The headline enough is mind-blowing, and when you get to some of the details in the article, it just gets more and more mind-blowing.

A Suggestion

... for the FAIL Blog ...

I call it "Defending your Cy Young Award Fail"







I need a hug ...

Am I a Mean Person?

Today, news came across the wire that the Indians had placed Joe "No Velocity" Borowski on the disabled list. I believe the actual listed injury was either suckassitis or craptastic disorder. I think they could have listed both.

Anyways ... upon hearing the news ... I celebrated. I wanted to dance.

Does this make me mean?