SO FUNNY IT HURTS by ST

When I read this morning that Boise State was projected as the first number one in this coming Sunday's BCS poll debut, I nearly doubled over laughing. I know some were astonished, other fearful, with some downright angry. After hoping Oregon gets their shot by running the table, all I care about is shining the light of ineptitude on the entire system. Any circumstance that takes us closer to a playoff to decide our national champion is okay in my book. Unfortunately, logic indicates based on the garbage(save Nevada)the Broncos have on their remaining schedule, they have no shot. Unless Oregon, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Auburn and the unbeatens from the major leagues lose. For the record, the Ducks would be #2 just like they are in the other poll that matters, the coaches.
We'll get into this a bit more on today's shows, but I'm not that concerned about the close nature of the Wazzou win. The coaches and players are robotic about regurgitating the proper phrases One game at a time or we're not taking the Cougs lightly. Sorry, there is no way this team is as focused and razor sharp after taking on Stanford under that wave of national insanity the week prior. It's impossible. I don't care the level of your profession, except for hopefully surgeons and those who save lives. There are times when it's routine or just not as sexy. I love doing this for a living. But as much pride as I take prepping for each show, can I possibly be as filled with anticipation for a Tuesday in late July compared to today or pre-game at the Mo with ESPN in town? Come on. So at the end of the day, the Ducks won a conference road game by 3 touchdowns with their quarterback out for a half and the mental anguish of the frightening Kenyon Barner injury.
I watch NFL Sunday Ticket all day. I saw Fabreeze is the "Official Air Freshener" of the NFL. Really?
From the costly injury file. Did you see the Braves blow the game last night against Frisco? Closer Billy Wagner hurt his oblique on Friday night and is out for the series. The bullpen, with help from some miserable defense blew the game. Oh by the way, the key errors came courtesy of 2B Brooks Conrad. He's only in there because regular second sacker Omar Infante is playing 3rd with regular hot cornerman Martin Prado sidelined since late September with a hip pointer. All he did was score 100 runs while batting .307. Huge!

2ND PROFESSION by ST

I love football coaches. Your fate lies in the hands of 53 guys plus staff at the pro level, about 100 players plus staff in college. They want you to glad hand boosters, handle all the media responsibilities, do charity events and win ballgames. In return, the coaches get to tell us nothing beyond exactly what they want us to hear. These guys would transition easily into C.I.A agents. We're telling you nothing. Bill Belicek of the Patriots okays a trade of an elite weapon like Randy Moss and with a straight face says he was a joy to coach, no problems with discipline and we have to eat it. Right. College coaches insist they pay no attention to the polls, margin of victory or anything that would remotely allow a fan or media member to feel some kind of kinship. Right. At the end of the day, does it really matter what a coach says? No! They will be judged by the results on the field, and in certain cases if they step outside the rules.
This is some week in the Pac 10. First time all year we get 5 games, all in league. On today's shows we'll hit on the biggies which is pretty much 4 of them aside from the anticipated Duck wipeout in Pullman.
Oregon State has a tremendous opportunity. They've come up light in their first two matchups with top 10 teams but a victory at Arizona and they remain unbeaten in league plus grab that tiebreaker edge versus the Cats. Gotta run it, get James Rodgers back and defensively, do some damage on 3rd down. FYI, Ryan Katz the only QB in the nation with more than 100 attempts and no interceptions. I really like his game.
USC and Stanford are both 1 & 1 in the conference. My partner in crime pointed out an astonishing fact. When the Cardinal upset Southern Cal at the Colesium a mere 3 years ago, they were a 40 point underdog. Tomorrow they are a 9 point favorite. That's a 7 touchdown turnaround. Wow!
The loser in Arizona state at Washington isn't going to a bowl game. You heard it here first. Dawgs win and suddenly they're 2 & 0 in league for the 1st time since 2006. An ASU defeat sends them to 0 & 3 in the Pac and I'm guessing is a key step towards the end of the Dennis Erickson in Tempe.
I'm probably more of a baseball fan than 98% of the sports society. Sure my Yankees are winning, but I can watch great pitching until the cows come home. The performance of Tim Lincecum last night in eating up that Atlanta lineup should hang in a museum. Don't want to sell short what Andy Pettite did to put New York in the ALDS driver's seat against Minny. It's just that his admitted HGH use puts a taint on all he does. Gonna be a heck of a weekend.

THE TRUE BEAUTY OF IT ALL by ST

The great thing about the 3 of 5 format for the 1st round of the MLB Playoffs is how quickly it can all come apart or together. After watching for 6 months and 162 games I was convinced Tampa was going to win the American League pennant. Within a span of 27 hours they lose twice at home and are pretty much toast. The umpiring continues to be horrible, but not as pathetic as the Rays bats which has mustered a whopping run. Yuck!
I was also down on the Yankees and their chances against Minnesota but did feel if they won every one of CC Sabathia's post season starts, it's possible they'll repeat. They also must have Mariano Rivera revert to his usual light's out playoff form and he was devastating last night in game one getting the 34 out save. Plus they got the long ball which is a strength.
I'm looking forward to Braves/Giants with Derek Lowe dueling with Tim Lincecum in the opener. DLowe has been to the playoffs 7 other times and his post season era of 3.3 is a half run better than his career number of 3.8. The definitive money pitcher. Playoff debut for Lincecum, the reigning 2 time NL Cy Young winner.
On today's show, what is the game(save your favorite team) you're looking most forward to this weekend on either the college or NFL grid iron. For Oregon fans, a shot to root for Alabama to get knocked off. They're at South Carolina and this might be the best team Steve Spurrier has fielded with the Gamecocks. FYI...we get this game locally at 12:30 on cbs/kval. Sweet!

GROW UP by ST

Didn't we go through this with Jets coach Rex Ryan? People offended by language a big time football coach uses in the heat of the moment. Does Chip Kelly use off color talk when he's visiting a school, doing something for charity or dealing with the media? Of course not! I never cease to be amazed by what turns into a huge deal. For openers, the coach was not reprimanded by the Pac-10 for using some "R" rated language but for sarcastically questioning the idiot refs for not properly explaining a very quesitonable call. I watch a ton of college football and the NFL all day long. You see F-bombs and the like a bunch of times each weekend. Jon Gruden had the ultimate potty mouth and is now an analyst for ESPN and it's presentation of Monday Night Football in particular. Have we become such phony moralists and hypocrites that moronic issues like this really matter? I guarantee you many of the same people so incensed have kids they allow to play graphic, bloody video games or have visited some pretty questionable web sites. Reminds me of the anti-gay crusaders like George Rekers and Richards Curtis who were found to be engaged in gay relationships. Usually those who take the extreme moral highground over petty issues have the most to hide. Society has actual problems to deal with. A football coach using language we hear on HBO, in bars, lockerrooms and playing fields during high intensity moments doesn't rate.

PLAYOFFS? by ST

Took some time to look ahead to the MLB post season. Gotta tell ya I don't see this turning out any other way but a repeat of 2008 when the Phillies beat the Rays. Love the Giants rotation and even Brian Wilson at the back of the bullpen, but that offense is far too inconsistent and anemic to be trusted against a playoff staff. The Reds have some solid bats and my NL MVP pick in Joey Votto but I'm not enamored with their starters. They have Edinson Volquez as their #1, a guy who missed the first 2/3rds of the season and has zero playoff experience. The #2 Bronson Arroyo was with the 04 Red Sox but his era was nearly 8. I'm not buying.
Sentiment is with Atlanta as it's the finale of the Bobby Cox era. With an established money guy like Derek Lowe at the front end of a rotation that includes another elite arm in Tim Hudson, they have a shot. Their offense is more blue collar productive than dangerous with no one you'd say can carry a club through a series. And I've never trusted closer Billy Wagner and his huge gak in the clutch reputation. Philadelphia is the clear favorite and if Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge throw like they have been the past month, they steamroll their way through the divisonal and league championship series.
In the American League, the defending champs, the Yankees, have the ability to just slug their way through. They have a sensational ace in CC Sabathia then nothing but questions with Phil Hughes set to go in game 2, the juicer Andy Pettite in game 3. Fortunately they've decided to remove AJ Burnett from the post season rotation. Despite being a regular season starter, Hughes has never started a playoff game. The Twins have legit starters though not dominating or spectacular. They lost closer Joe Nathan in the pre-season, gave the gig to Jon Rauch, traded with the Angels for Brian Fuentes, then acquired Matt Capps from Washington and now he's the closer. Despite the loss of Justin Morneau to a concussion, I like their offense, but after getting past the Yankees, I think they lose the ALCS to Tampa.
The Rays starters all have post season starts, they have more speed than anyone, play excellent defense and Rafael Soriano closing the door in the 9th has been terrific. They lost to the Phils in 5 in 2008, and will lose again, but it will be much closer.

GO CRAZY FOLKS, GO CRAZY! by ST

The title of this blog was the legendary call of Jack Buck after Ozzie Smith hit a walk off tater to win game 5 of the 1985 National League Championship Series for the Cardinals. I'm bringing it back a quarter century later because it's time for Oregon fans to go bonkers. I'll insist to the end that when the sun sets on the 2010 regular season Stanford will be viewed as one of the top 10 or 12 teams in the country. From my chair, this was the signature victory of the year so far in college football. I don't think Florida is elite and neither is Miami. I cite those programs because they're the best wins for #1 Alabama and #2 Ohio State respectively. From the post game show through regular interaction via e-mail, texting and face to face I hear some concern about the Oregon Defense. I truly believe they operate under a different rating system because of the high octane, break neck tempo of the offense. What you're seeing in the 1st half is pretty much the setting of the deck for the 2nd half hands. Zoom, zoom, zoom, try to keep up for 60 minutes. So far no one has come even close. Remember, it was Arizona State who wilted and faked injuries at their place. By the middle of the 4th quarter the Cardinal were toast. The Duck depth and tempo represent a gauntlet of challenge no opposition has handled yet. I know road blocks exist in this conference, but for now, I don't see anyone capable of beating Oregon straight up. Turnovers, errors, a team playing over it's head, sure! But all things being equal, the Ducks are far and away the class of the Pac 10.
On today's show, LMJ in the Heisman race. The insanity of the LSU win, the USC loss, MLB playoffs and what went down in the NFL. Gonna be a fun one.

THE BIG WEEKEND by ST

On yesterday's show we kicked around the 4 logical scenarios for the Stanford game tomorrow and what that would mean for your view of the Duck's 2010 season. I know if Oregon win's big, folks are going to lose it! People will shoot right beyond the Rose Bowl to the National Title game and begin conniving a way to get past Alabama, Ohio State and Boise State to play for all the marbles. They lose big it's going to be a "misery-a-thon". The defense will be maligned, along with the offensive line, fingers will be pointed towards Oxford, Mississippi, it won't be pretty. A close game will likely lead to most fans still thinking this is a strong team who lost to another quality squad and will look forward with much optimism. I think Oregon must grab a lead in the 2nd half, preferably as early in the 3rd quarter as possible and let the rocking and rolling atmosphere test Cardinal QB Andrew Luck. He's a terrific young player but hasn't faced this kind of scene, or even close.
No question each team will face their most severe test. Arizona State's defense was formidable, but top to bottom, both sides of the line, I don't think they're in Stanford's league. While the Cardinal were impressive in beating UCLA at the Rose Bowl, the Bruin offense is flat out weak and getting a win at South Bend is always nice, but the Fighting Irish have an awful defense and a young quarterback who barely put up a fight.
Interesting game down in Troy with the Huskies in town. Gotta think the Trojans have this one circled in blood after losing up there to that awful team early last season. Was semi-surprised to see the oddsmakers said SC by just 10. I think they're going to light them Dawgs up. I guess if the Washington offense kicks it in they might put up some points on a less than dominant Southern Cal defense.
I'm calling this reality check weekend in the NFL. The Seaclucks won't likely get 2 kick returns for a TD as they visit this interesting Rams team led by #1 pick at QB, Sam Bradford. Pittsburg is a 1 point home favorite against Baltimore. Is it possible they can win all 4 games in the absence of Ben Roethlisberger? Tall order. And hopefully, the Eagles will come crashing to earth against the Redskins and Donavan McNabb. Here's hoping Michael Vick's career ends with a vicious, gruesome injury!