Kaepping off a season, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. With the Conference Championship Games over and done with, the Har-bowl is all set up. In just Kaepernick's ninth start as a pro, he put together an incredible performance to catapult the Niners into their first Super Bowl since 1994. At that time, Steve Young under center and Jerry Rice was still catching passes. What made Kaep's performance even more impressive, was that he played at that level just one week after his record setting game against Green Bay in the Divisional Round. For a young quarterback to have that kind of success and not read his own headlines really impresses me. I'll be honest, I was not supportive of Jim Harbaugh's decision to start Colin Kaepernick over Alex Smith midway through the season. Especially since Smith had the highest completion percentage in the league at that time, and I don't think you should ever lose your job due to injury. Obviously Harbaugh made the correct decision, and now he is rewarded with a trip to New Orleans to face his brother on the other sideline.
Ray Lewis and the Ravens punched their ticket to Super Bowl 48 last Sunday. It wasn't an easy task, but shutting down the Patriots offense in the entire second half of the AFC Championship Game did the job. Quarterback Joe Flacco has been inconsistent over the past couple of years to say the least, but he's been money this postseason. Flacco now has the most road playoff wins in NFL history. Not Montana. Not Brady or Manning. Not even John Elway. Joe Flacco has been the man when it comes to Playoff football on the road in his career. The next thing on his list is a Super Bowl ring on his finger. He has a chance to get it next Sunday, but he will have to get past the stout 49er defense in order to get that type of jewelry.

Farewell Chip, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. As the clock expired and Chip Kelly was doused in yellow Gatorade, it seemed that would be the last time we would see Coach Kelly with the Oregon visor upon his head. Chip had lead the team to four consecutive BCS Bowls in four years, and won the last two trips. Arguably the most successful head coach Oregon has ever seen, looked poised to head to the NFL. When word got out that Chip would be returning for another shot at a Natty, you could almost hear the entire city of Eugene sigh in relief. Although it was thought he would be returning, I knew that it was just a matter of time before he headed to the Pros. That time ended up being sooner rather than later, as the Philadelphia Eagles announced their new coach would be none other than Chip Kelly. Even though I was a little dissapointed, I could not say I was surprised nor angry. For people to question the character of Kelly really gets on my nerves. Sure, I'm not happy with his decision to leave, but you have to be able to see where he is coming from. He has spent his four years in College and is now heading for the ultimate challenge. Coach Kelly has elevated this program to a level that we have never seen before, and left us in a pretty good situation (disregarding possible sanctions). Next season will not be the year to see if we can survive without Chip. There is so much returning talent on that Duck roster, the true test will be a few years from now when the new recruiting class must take over. To me, Mark Helfrich makes the most sense to be the head guy, instead of going out and chasing after Chris Peterson or somebody else. Oregon Football will live on, but Chip Kelly will surely be missed.

Breaking the Bank, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. With all of the big name free agents on the market this time of year, you see some front office brilliance but more often than not, you see a lot of mistakes. Yesterday's signing of Josh Hamilton by the Angels was not a good move in my opinion. They had all kinds of talent on that roster last season, and just barely missed out on the postseason. Why not just stick with your guys, use the 25 million dollars a year to pick up a couple of quality players, and not have a bunch of overpaid big shots in the clubhouse? And if you think they are a sure playoff team in 2013, remember they had Trout, Pujols, and the best rotation in the AL in 2012 and couldn't squeak their way into the playoffs. This move could pay off for them, but for now, I'm not buying into it.
Another team that just doesn't get it are the Los Angeles Dodgers. This Zack Greinke deal really bothers me.  Greinke is a damn good pitcher, and I think he will increase the Dodger's chances of winning the west, but in no way is he worth $147 million. This is the most money ever paid to a right hander, and there are a handful of righties I would rather have than Greinke, who aren't getting nearly as big of a paycheck. And haven't they learned from what happened to them last year? After acquiring Gonzalez, Beckett, Ramirez and Victorino, they just went down hill from there. It's not like they aren't getting good players, they are just overpaying everybody who has decent numbers but a big name.

Not So Civil War, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. Last week's heartbreaking loss to Stanford really put a spin on the Ducks' season. We are in a very similar spot as we were last season after the USC loss, except we had a PAC 12 Championship game to fall back on last year. Now the Ducks are in need of a UCLA win over the Cardinal for a shot at the Rose Bowl. However, there is a scenario where Oregon does not want a championship game. There's a chance that Oregon can still make it to the Natty without winning their conference.
I know that USC is without Barkley, but that doesn't mean Notre Dame is just going to steamroll over the Trojans in Los Angeles. Keep in mind, SC quarterback Max Wittek was a top five recruit in his class, and he has two tremendous receivers to throw the ball to. The Irish have been having some troubles in their secondary as of late, and the Trojans have the type of firepower to exploit those weaknesses. So if USC can upset the Irish, that makes Oregon's road to Miami a little bit easier.
They would still need Florida State to beat Florida, but I don't think that will be much of a problem. Gator QB Jeff Driskel is probable to play with his ankle injury, but he is on the road against a very talented Seminole team, and the Noles should win with no issues. If both Notre Dame and Florida drop their rivalry games, all the Ducks need to do is take care of the Beavs in Corvallis, which will be no easy task.
Oregon State is looking for an At-Large bid for the BCS, and a win over the Ducks would make them very attractive to a game like the Fiesta Bowl. The Ducks are not only playing for a Rose Bowl or a possible National Championship, but they want to lock up a spot in the BCS. If Oregon doesn't want this season to be a complete bust, they need to beat the Beavers in the Civil War.

Natty Bound, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. It took some help from Johnny Football and the Aggies, but the Ducks now control their own destiny for a trip to the Natty. Before last week, many thought that if Oregon were to win out, they would have surpassed K-State in the polls anyway. But after the A&M upset over Alabama, they don't need to worry about leaping anybody. Their task becomes simple... Just win. With Game Day in town, tomorrow is by far the biggest test of the season for the Ducks. They may have more at stake, but Stanford is in control of their own fate to get to the Grand Daddy of them All, and that is plenty of incentive to win. A slight concern for the Ducks are the health status of their two Heisman hopefuls who suffered injuries against Cal. Barner and Mariota gave fans a major scare when they both left the game last week, but were able to come back in the game and make an impact. Kenjon Barner had a bit of a struggle, but was picked up big-time by Freshman QB Marcus Mariota, who threw for a career high six touchdowns and completed nearly 80% of his passes. Mariota has really proved himself over the last two weeks as an elite quarterback, and he should be given some serious consideration for a trip to New York. In my opinion, the Ducks have three players who have the potential to win the Heisman this year, and I think it will happen. I'm just not sure which of the three it will be.
The MVP for both leagues were announced yesterday, and there were no real surprises in the writer's choices. Buster Posey was the clear choice in the NL, and he beat out Ryan Braun and Yadier Molina to add an MVP to his list of hardware. Posey now has a ROY, Comeback Player of the Year, a Silver Slugger, Hank Aaron Award, 2 rings and now an MVP to put on his mantle. That is a great career for most players, but this 25 year old just finished his first full season in the big-leagues. Over in the AL, I had no idea why it was even a discussion. I mean, Miguel Cabrera won the first Triple Crown in 45 years and that alone should be able to give him MVP. Plus, the fact that he lead his team to the Playoffs is a big boost for him in the writer's eyes. Don't get me wrong, Mike Trout had the greatest rookie season ever recorded, but this honor was rightfully rewarded to Miggy. In the very near future, Trout will get his first MVP, and it won't be his only one.

Soaring, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. After last week's tough road test in Southern California, the Ducks have another crucial Pac 12 contest tomorrow in Berkeley, as the Cal Bears try to spoil Oregon's dream season. Last week, the Duck's offense looked just as explosive than ever, as Mariota and the boys dropped 62 on the Trojan defense to lead them to a perfect 9-0 record. Kenjon Barner put himself in the Heisman spotlight, rushing for a career-high 321 yards and found the end zone five times. I may be a bit bias, but Barner's season stats are second to none as far as the Heisman race goes. With three regular season games left, Barner has already rushed for nearly 1300 yards and 19 touchdowns. What makes this most impressive, is the fact that he is putting up these kind of numbers while only playing in one full game so far this season. By the way, that full game was against a preseason #1 on the road. Although the speedy Oregon offense may be better than ever, their defense will have to step their game up from last week's performance. Before the USC game, the Duck D was stellar, but the secondary didn't quite show up to the party last week. True, SC does have two spectacular wide-outs in Robert Woods and Marqise Lee receiving the ball from a talented Matt Barkley, but I don't think they should be able to put a 50 spot on the scoreboard. To our credit, we did get the stops when it mattered most. Tomorrow shouldn't be to big of a task, but Cal always plays the Ducks close, so it won't be a total cakewalk. This is just another stop on Oregon's way to another Natty.
I know we're less than two weeks into the NBA season, but there have been some pretty big story lines thus far. Let's start with the struggling Lakers. Sitting at 1-4 on the season, the Lakers haven't been looking to sharp with the new addition of Dwight Howard. Although Howard himself is playing at a high level, it just doesn't seem to mesh very well. Their lone win on the season is against the Pistons, who aren't particularly the toughest competition out there. The good thing for them, is that they have plenty of time to adjust before it is too late. Another hot topic is the new back court of the Houston Rockets. Consisting of James Harden and Jeremy Lin, the Rockets have gone from cellar dwellers to contenders overnight. Harden is leading the league in scoring, averaging over 30 PPG while Lin is back at it again averaging 7 assists and 3 steals. It looks like the west is going to be loaded this year, and it's going to be a fun season to watch.

BCS, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. After an all out demolition of the Sun Devils in the desert, the Ducks come back home to face the Colorado Buffaloes. For a team known for their potent offense, the most impressive aspect of Oregon's game has been their defense. The speedy Duck D has been outstanding thus far, allowing only 20 PPG in seven contests. And keep in mind, our scrubs gave up all 21 against ASU, so if it wasn't for Chip calling the dogs off so early, the Ducks' defensive stats could be even more impressive. Playing Colorado tomorrow won't help us any in the BCS polls, where the computers give no love to the city of Eugene. I mean, is it Oregon's fault that we are beating the teams on our schedule? Last season they received a lot of scrutiny for opening against LSU, and so far this year, we're being punished by the polls for not having an SEC type schedule where every game is a test. The Ducks have faced two ranked teams this year, and have outscored them 101-21. Now if that isn't taking care of business, I don't know what is.
Today is a World Series travel day, and for the first time this Postseason the Giants have a lead in the series. Tomorrow, the series will shift to Detroit tomorrow for three games, and if I'm a Tigers fan, I want to head back to the Bay only down 3-2. If they can win 2 out of 3 at home, they have a fighting chance in San Francisco. The Giants have been playing with their back against the wall all Playoffs long and I don't think they are going to blow this. This series will be closed out in Detroit, and the Gigantes will be World Champs.