tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35227093325423333662024-03-13T04:58:25.558-05:00SportsTempsA blog about sports and whatever else we find interesting.
MLB, NCAA basketball, NCAA football, NFL, NASCAR, NO NBA.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.comBlogger320125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-59821505332857267942015-09-04T10:04:00.001-05:002015-09-04T10:04:30.535-05:00Rookie Running Back Breakdown<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 2015
NFL draft class is considered to be one of the better ones in recent memory
when looking strictly at the running back position. There were two guys taking
in the first round, but others should be able to emerge as well. People playing
in </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.fanduel.com/fantasy-football">weekly fantasy football leagues</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"> might be
hesitant at first to go with rookies, but they will start to show what they're
capable of by the middle of the season. As of right now, here are the top three
options to consider.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif;"><b>Melvin
Gordon</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif;">At
Wisconsin, he was a workhorse his entire career. Now, he is going to step in as
the featured running back for the San Diego Chargers right away. He has the
ability to make big plays, but he is also somebody who can be very dependable
getting a lot of touches. The touchdown total will be average, but 1200 yards
or so should be expected out of him in his rookie year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif;"><b>Todd
Gurley</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif;">How
healthy is Gurley? That seems to be the big question before the season. St.
Louis is optimistic that he will be able to play quite a bit this year, and
that is good news for anyone thinking about drafting him in weekly fantasy
sports leagues. He has the most pure talent out of all the rookies, but coming
off a major knee surgery is scary. His ability to find the end zone could make
him very valuable by the end of the season. For now, it might be best to wait
and see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif;"><b>TJ Yeldon</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif;">Since
Jacksonville needs him more than Atlanta needs Tevin Coleman, Yeldon gets the
edge for the third choice. He had a very productive career at Alabama, some
wonder just how good he can be in the NFL. He had some fumbling issues in
college, and he is hoping the adjustments have been made. Jacksonville does not
really have the best offensive line, so that could work against him as well.
Despite all the negatives, people need to remember that he could still easily
get 1000 yards on the ground and 5-8 touchdowns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-84772794728129466912014-10-28T20:39:00.001-05:002014-10-28T20:39:10.891-05:00New Expectations for Kenneth Faried<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the breakout stars this summer for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup was Kenneth Faried. The forward for the Denver Nuggets was considered somewhat of a longshot to make the team at the beginning of camp, but he turned into one of their best players. That performance came at a perfect time for him, as he was due for a new contract in the NBA. After getting a five year deal worth $60 million, new expectations will be surrounding him.<br />
<br />
Throughout his basketball career, Faried has been the overachieving underdog. He was lightly recruited out of high school, ending up at Morehead State. Despite putting up huge numbers there, he slipped into the end of the 1st round in the NBA Draft. Even in the NBA he has largely been undervalued because his <a href="https://www.fanduel.com/fantasy-basketball">fantasy basketball</a> numbers are not out of this world. What makes him valuable is his ability to do the little things and play at full speed 100% of the time.<br />
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Denver was crushed by injuries last year, and they finished well out of the playoffs. Faried performed pretty well in fantasy basketball, but now he will be asked to take on a bigger load on offense. He has been working on his shooting to stretch the floor a little, and it is getting better and better.<br />
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Now that he is making well over $10 million a year, it is time for him to take on a bigger leadership role. He isn't really considered a star just yet, but he has the potential to be that type of player for Denver. That Nuggets have always had trouble being fast, athletic running team to use the thin air to their advantage. In that sense, Faried is the perfect fit. He seems to be more than happy to stay in Denver, but now people will be expecting more out of the gold medalist.<br />
<br />
-Vince Martin</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-83709134208590279132014-02-09T12:38:00.002-06:002014-02-09T12:43:03.420-06:002014 MLB Team Preview: Chicago White Sox<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWbTVUzuiyORFjpLgCO5a9mIIF0ifbGTQVXE8I_5kOo90aqJJs5EED8tv0cwTgIRMX9z3WPwysMm7QtVtMnhI9VV5e66GoSU8rfZsle-Bfyy0pw0GCjk_PrPOtDtpudXTxMj1Fa_h8WTA/s1600/sox.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWbTVUzuiyORFjpLgCO5a9mIIF0ifbGTQVXE8I_5kOo90aqJJs5EED8tv0cwTgIRMX9z3WPwysMm7QtVtMnhI9VV5e66GoSU8rfZsle-Bfyy0pw0GCjk_PrPOtDtpudXTxMj1Fa_h8WTA/s1600/sox.jpeg" /></a></div>
Last season was one most Sox fans would like to forget. The team finished dead last in the American League in runs scored and only led the rebuilding Marlins in all of baseball. This was the major factor in the team losing 99 games and why many fans found the idea of watching the team far too painful a chore to endure. Why did this team fall so far so fast when just the season before they won 85 games and nearly made the playoffs? It's simple, really: age and injuries.<br />
<br />
The Sox made almost no moves going into last season meaning they were banking on the same roster from 2012 to win in 2013. Obviously that didn't happen. At age 37 the good times finally stopped rolling for Paul Konerko who managed a sorry .244/.313/.355 with just 12 home runs. Adam Dunn improved but then again, how could he not. Catcher was a mess with Tyler Flowers disappointing and Alexei Ramirez's power dropped for the third straight year. Gavin Floyd got injured and only pitched five games. With the team sinking fast in summer Alex Rios, Matt Thornton, and Jake Peavy were all unloaded for prospects. Still the team was locked into many contracts for another season making 2014 seemingly destined to be another horrible year. But then general manager Rick Hahn went to work.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV57P6KXW-rpstkrIZ9Z2_Kp2w4o8tycy0ikVB_aH2SlhLGjTBNtZHy6tuJTfE9W323sLiAOmclNywQJsqS9l5X7-9B5OAOaMKSsyvYiubnE14aJf2CSPGmkjNYNoDSCx-xRddMnEQ2_3v/s1600/joseabreu.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV57P6KXW-rpstkrIZ9Z2_Kp2w4o8tycy0ikVB_aH2SlhLGjTBNtZHy6tuJTfE9W323sLiAOmclNywQJsqS9l5X7-9B5OAOaMKSsyvYiubnE14aJf2CSPGmkjNYNoDSCx-xRddMnEQ2_3v/s1600/joseabreu.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Now that Paulie's almost done, Abreu is the new face of the Sox.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With Konerko apparently washed up and now an unsigned free agent, and knowing that Adam Dunn a) can't play first worth a flip and b) is now a bad baseball player, the Sox went loco and <a href="http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/9899364/jose-abreu-deal-chicago-white-sox-was-calculated-risk-general-manager-rick-hahn-says">signed 26 year old Cuban first baseman Jose Abreu</a> to a six year deal worth $68 million. The Southsiders are not shy about signing Cuban defectors as there are currently two on the team in Alexei Ramirez and Dayan "the Tank" Viciedo. No one can be sure what to expect from Abreu but the Sox trust their scouts and believe in the translated statistics created by former Baseball Prospectus writer Clay Davenport. A month later the Sox re-signed Konerko to a one year deal to act as a bench player and platoon partner with Dunn.<br />
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In a seemingly minor move, <a href="http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/09/white-sox-sign-felipe-paulino/">Felipe Paulino was signed</a> to an already seemingly full rotation. I say seemingly because this signing allowed Hahn to make what could be the best move of his young GM career. It was painfully obvious at the onset of the off-season that the Angels wanted to improve their rotation. It was also obvious the Diamondbacks have a man-crush on Mark Trumbo. After weeks of negotiating neither team had come to an agreement on how to help each other. Enter Rick Hahn and his magic wand. By sending fourth starter and Hector Santiago - who was a nice project for the team but perhaps coming off a career year - to the Angels, the Sox acquired a young, former highly regarded prospect in center fielder Adam Eaton from the Diamondbacks. Is he a superstar? Heck no, but he stands to be an improvement and offers something almost no other Sox player has: potential. And to get this for a fourth starter who would now have to fight for a spot in the team's rotation is just a phenomenal piece of work. <a href="http://www.southsidesox.com/2013/12/10/5198426/adam-eaton-trade-reaction-roundup-white-sox-draw-compliments-some">Most critics agreed</a>.<br />
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Hahn was not done. Smelling blood, Hahn called Arizona again. Knowing that the acquisition of Trumbo meant someone was going to be crowded out of a job, <a href="http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/10147639/addison-reed-chicago-white-sox-traded-arizona-diamondbacks-matt-davidson">Hahn offered his closer Addison Reed for top 100 prospect third baseman Matt Davidson</a>. It's entirely too early to say who will win this trade. Some evaluators believe Reed will be an elite closer one day and some evaluators aren't sold on Davidson being an every day third baseman. But this is the type of risk the Sox need to be taking. What's the point of having an upper echelon closer if you're only winning 75 games? The front office rightly viewed Reed as a luxury and flipped him for something that could possibly grow into an asset.<br />
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The late season and winter moves do not make the White Sox contenders. There are still too many holes on the roster for that to happen. Instead what has happened is the team went from being abysmal and trying to come up with a rebuilding plan to actually being ahead of the curve on the rebuild. Take a look at last season's lineup (ages in parenthesis) in comparison to this year's projected lineup:<br />
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 317px;">
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<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 4437; mso-width-source: userset; width: 104pt;" width="104"></col>
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1152; mso-width-source: userset; width: 27pt;" width="27"></col>
<col style="width: 53pt;" width="53"></col>
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<col style="mso-width-alt: 1152; mso-width-source: userset; width: 27pt;" width="27"></col>
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<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt; width: 104pt;" width="104"><b>2013</b></td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 27pt;" width="27"><b>Pos</b></td>
<td style="width: 53pt;" width="53"></td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 106pt;" width="106"><b> 2014</b></td>
<td style="width: 27pt;" width="27"><b>Pos</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Alejandro de Aza (29)</td>
<td class="xl63">CF</td>
<td></td>
<td>Adam Eaton (25)</td>
<td class="xl63">CF</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Alexei Ramirez (31)</td>
<td class="xl63">SS</td>
<td></td>
<td>Alexei Ramirez (32)</td>
<td class="xl63">SS</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Alex Rios (32)</td>
<td class="xl63">RF</td>
<td></td>
<td>Avisail Garcia (23)</td>
<td class="xl63">RF</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Paul Konerko (37)</td>
<td class="xl63">1B</td>
<td></td>
<td>Jose Abreu (26)</td>
<td class="xl63">1B</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Adam Dunn (33)</td>
<td class="xl63">DH</td>
<td></td>
<td>Adam Dunn (34)</td>
<td class="xl63">DH</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Gordon Beckham (26)</td>
<td class="xl63">2B</td>
<td></td>
<td>Gordon Beckham (27)</td>
<td class="xl63">2B</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Dayan Viciedo (24)</td>
<td class="xl63">LF</td>
<td></td>
<td>Dayan Viciedo (25)</td>
<td class="xl63">LF</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Jeff Keppinger (33)</td>
<td class="xl63">3B</td>
<td></td>
<td>Matt Davidson (23)</td>
<td class="xl63">3B</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Tyler Flowers (27)</td>
<td class="xl63">C</td>
<td></td>
<td>Josh Phegley (25)</td>
<td class="xl63">C</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Average age</td>
<td class="xl64"><span style="background-color: red;">30.2</span></td>
<td></td>
<td class="xl66">Average age</td>
<td align="right" class="xl65"><span style="background-color: lime;">26.7</span></td>
</tr>
<!--EndFragment-->
</tbody></table>
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As you can see the 2013 lineup featured five players on the wrong side of 30 whereas the future lineup has just one - Adam Dunn who coincidentally is in the final year of his deal. The White Sox went from being one of the older teams with very little upside to an intriguing group of players whose best years should be ahead of them. What makes this even more exciting is that Garcia, Abreu, Davidson, and Eaton will all be cost and team controlled for the next five to six seasons so even if there is a flame out or two it's not going to hurt the team's flexibility financially.<br />
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I'm not trying to say the White Sox will win a World Series with this group of players. I don't even see them cracking .500 this year. But with several young players in the lineup and one of the best pitchers in all of baseball (Sale) only 25 himself, there is reason to be optimistic on the Southside. That's a lot better than what fans were saying last July.<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-91993471408589527792014-01-01T11:28:00.000-06:002014-01-01T18:21:43.374-06:002014 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBfJnXL-UMlIG3U_g6ax91csc73uPPpiHW92MwYrN3sHrH39y-2PGl0FgBecUDUUSf5-FFXH1s9c8WP80aFIRISuaLf36F8FLmIkQoLQ7i3EHCP9dcADtw6XTpXavp6pJl4Y2UkHwnlk3/s1600/maddux.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBfJnXL-UMlIG3U_g6ax91csc73uPPpiHW92MwYrN3sHrH39y-2PGl0FgBecUDUUSf5-FFXH1s9c8WP80aFIRISuaLf36F8FLmIkQoLQ7i3EHCP9dcADtw6XTpXavp6pJl4Y2UkHwnlk3/s1600/maddux.jpeg"></a></div>
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Warning: this is a lengthy post.<br>
<br>
Last year I wrote a post detailing the Hall of Fame credentials of each candidate on the ballot using a system I devised called Hall of Fame Score (HOFSc). I thought it worked well but I wasn't finished tweaking. I messed around with the formula some more during the summer until I came up with something I think works better. The main difference is now performance relative to the league has more weight than just WAR.<br>
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Craig Biggio was the odds on favorite to be elected last season but he only garnered 68% of the votes (75% is necessary) and therefore was not elected. Now the ballot is gaining several other players who many feel are deserving of enshrinement including Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, and Curt Schilling. These players plus the carryovers from last season make for one heck of a dilemma for voters. If multiple players are not elected this time around it's conceivable in the near future there will be up to twenty players who are legitimate candidates. Until the voters come to a consensus on how to treat the players who dabbled in PEDs (or those who are speculated to have done so) or until the Baseball Writers Association allows more than ten players to be selected on a ballot, we're going to have quite a mess on our hands.<br>
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Here's what the ballot looks like this time with their respective HOFSc:<br>
<br>
<b><u>Catchers</u> - Avg/Median HOFSc = 74.00/75.15</b><br>
<b>Paul LoDuca (24.6): </b>LoDuca had one really nice season with the Dodgers in 2001 where he batted .320/.374/.543. He never matched those lofty numbers again but managed to stick around for another decade as a decent hitting catcher.<br>
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<b>Mike Piazza (92.40): </b>It's a bit of a shame Piazza didn't get in last season because now the ballot is filled with other great candidates. I think he'll get in next year but not this year. My scoring system puts him fourth among catchers so there's no excuse for shutting him out for too long.<br>
<br>
<b><u></u></b><br>
</div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2014/01/2014-mlb-hall-of-fame-ballot.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-90895482122643526662013-12-14T17:16:00.000-06:002013-12-16T18:12:28.462-06:00Trumbo Trade Helps Solidify The Los Angeles Angels As Contenders<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Los Angeles Angels have spent the last few seasons
trying to buy a World Series title on the free agent market. Bringing in
All-Stars like Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and CJ Wilson have not yielded
results so far, and a lot of that has to do with the team not being balanced
enough. They were able to solidify their pitching staff a bit more this week,
as they traded Mike Trumbo in a three-team deal with the Chicago White Sox and
Arizona Diamondbacks that yielded Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Losing Trumbo’s <a href="http://www.fanduel.com/fantasy-baseball">fantasybaseball</a> value, especially from a power perspective, will obviously
sting a little bit. However, the Angels are counting on bounce back seasons
from Pujols and Hamilton, so that shouldn’t be a huge loss. After all, scoring
runs is not the problem in Anaheim. Their issue has been reliable pitching
after Jered Weaver, Wilson and Garrett Richards.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The pair of left-handers they picked up in this trade are
young, talented and under team control at affordable salaries for a while. That
is exactly what the doctor ordered for a team that has freely spent a lot of
money in recent years. Santiago didn’t have the best season for the White Sox
in 2013, but he will get more support with the Angels. Skaggs is the big prize
here, as the Diamondbacks give up their top prospect from a year ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even though Skaggs struggled in 2013 at AAA and the majors,
his value is still pretty high. The Angels will more than likely give him a
spot in the rotation right away, so he should have plenty of confidence going
into the 2014 season.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Winning the American League West is without question the
main goal for the Angels this upcoming season. If the pitching staff can hold
up, they might finally be able to live up to the lofty expectations they have
had these last few seasons. If both pitchers work out, this could be one of the
biggest offseason moves for the franchise. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-85873339005087545672013-12-09T07:49:00.000-06:002013-12-09T07:49:12.081-06:002013-14 Conference Predictions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Holiday tournaments are finished and opportunities for non-conference quality wins are waning. That means whether we realize it or not, the NCAA Tournament is already taking shape. A lot of teams changed conferences causing a dramatic reshuffling of the college basketball landscape. The Big East split into two conferences - the Big East and the American Athletic Conference. The Big Ten will add two teams next year while the ACC loses Maryland but gains Louisville. All of this likely means we're in for a unique year in college basketball. Here's a look at what each of the major conferences looks like so far.<br>
<br>
<b>ACC</b><br>
<b>Media's conference champ: </b>Duke<br>
<b>My prediction:</b> North Carolina<br>
<b>Likely Tournament Teams:</b> North Carolina, Duke, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Virginia<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfuA2yJ8R8H5TF_YJZwiZOd2m5-f3stz8LyIC4YbiySLwRP74-9Qvx9_svwyV-zsjmLV7mdxJ5fIIvh7pkBRlPh7_QuaBDUxjSwErIaaUfMDO6DTjcCuupOvvu8j4pUFjIC6GOqczIRDQ/s1600/parker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfuA2yJ8R8H5TF_YJZwiZOd2m5-f3stz8LyIC4YbiySLwRP74-9Qvx9_svwyV-zsjmLV7mdxJ5fIIvh7pkBRlPh7_QuaBDUxjSwErIaaUfMDO6DTjcCuupOvvu8j4pUFjIC6GOqczIRDQ/s1600/parker.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Can Jabari Parker lead Duke to a Final Four?<br>First he'll need to get his team to the top of the ACC.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Need a few breaks:</b> Florida State, Clemson, Notre Dame<br>
<b>Wait 'til Next Year:</b> Maryland, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Miami, Georgia Tech<br>
The conference got off to a pretty rough start this season but earned a tie in the BigTen/ACC Challenge. North Carolina has a couple of baffling losses (Belmont, UAB) but also beat Louisville and Michigan State giving me confidence they'll emerge as the conference's best team at the end of the year. Duke, Syracuse, and Pitt all look strong in their own rights while Virginia is well positioned despite their loss at Green Bay.<br>
<br></div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-14-conference-predictions.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-22451215732341109882013-12-02T18:55:00.001-06:002013-12-02T18:55:34.375-06:002013 Big Ten/ACC Challenge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghFEX54pgVXEIScXUHBrFUTcJtrj1eiMo9LMHZA-JHRZsgMsFy3HtcwSpMmytCeVfhYWOkACz8E1a2mFVMzQr3SGR5CjNXW6jXpDuea30wZAZKACOeTJe2Vjeg-VJen9KiRvudZkDzf1g/s1600/bigtenacc.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghFEX54pgVXEIScXUHBrFUTcJtrj1eiMo9LMHZA-JHRZsgMsFy3HtcwSpMmytCeVfhYWOkACz8E1a2mFVMzQr3SGR5CjNXW6jXpDuea30wZAZKACOeTJe2Vjeg-VJen9KiRvudZkDzf1g/s1600/bigtenacc.jpeg"></a></div>
For the first time in the now fourteen years of the event, every Big Ten team will be participating in the challenge. Before this year someone was always left out but thanks to the expansion of the ACC every team from the land of the good will get a chance to do their part in proving which conference reigns supreme in basketball this season. This may prove to be more challenging than usual because the ACC has elected to keep the three bottom dwellers from last season (Clemson, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech) out of the event while allowing newcomers Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse to participate. The ACC won the first eight challenges and the Big Ten won the next four before the two conferences tied last season. Here's a look at what's on tap this time around:</div>
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<b><u>Indiana @ Syracuse (Tuesday 7:15pm, ESPN)<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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This is an intriguing matchup. IU faces off against the team that upset them in last season's NCAA tournament. Syracuse continues to employ a tough zone defense where they encourage three point attempts while driving to the hoop is difficult. This does not play into Indiana's strengths as so far they are struggling with the outside shot. Where Indiana does excel is getting to the free throw line. It will be interesting to see if IU is able to continue this trend as high volume free throw shooting teams are often neutralized when facing zone defenses. Syracuse has been surprisingly efficient on offense despite shooting poorly from the line so far. There's just too much riding on Yogi Ferrell's shoulders in this one though the Hoosiers should have an advantage in the post.<o:p></o:p></div>
<b>The Pick:</b> Syracuse 77-68.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
</div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-big-tenacc-challenge.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-26388249918820676052013-11-27T19:12:00.000-06:002013-11-27T19:12:18.313-06:00Early Observations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We've played about four weeks of college basketball thus far and the world is already abuzz about how incredible these freshmen are, that Kentucky's already a disappointment, and that maybe the Big Ten is the best conference again this year. The new rules are being enforced causing several teams to struggle while other have found a way to exploit them. It's still early but here are a few of my observations as the first holiday tournaments get going.<br />
<br />
<b>Five Surprising Teams</b><br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>UMass - </b>I had no expectations for the Minutemen entering the season and<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhauVrHw5iBn6sCqpnMGlso66tytIV2_i8M5mbCptytQbuz3AKy8LtzAwzfwSqKcIFdja-OvqFXc5IAXBHi8j89ANI0GO_kWJ0tNvqfxhZWp44CFQSZNF0BHdADefObnIcALp9SRWHPiDGI/s1600/msmart.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhauVrHw5iBn6sCqpnMGlso66tytIV2_i8M5mbCptytQbuz3AKy8LtzAwzfwSqKcIFdja-OvqFXc5IAXBHi8j89ANI0GO_kWJ0tNvqfxhZWp44CFQSZNF0BHdADefObnIcALp9SRWHPiDGI/s1600/msmart.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Who can stop this guy?</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I considered them an NIT team at best. They've only played two home games out of six (the other four were on neutral courts) yet have an unblemished record. Their wins have come over BC, LSU, Youngstown State, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Clemson. The last two got my attention. Color me impressed.</li>
<li><b>Pittsburgh - </b>Pitt's best win thus far is a 21 point shellacking over Stanford on a neutral site. And that's my point; this team is 6-0 and their closest win was 19 points. Things are looking good.</li>
<li><b>Dayton - </b>They lost to Baylor by one last night but are 5-1 on the season with an impressive win over Gonzaga on Monday. I thought they might be the second best team in the A-10 prior to the season and now I feel more confident in that pick. They have a few more challenging games on the docket before the regular season begins. Keep this team in mind in March.</li>
<li><b>Nebraska - </b>They're just 4-2 so far with losses to Dayton and UAB. Still, the style of play has been effective and they're forcing opponents to shoot tough shots while defending the rim better than maybe anyone else. Offensively they're not turning the ball over and are hitting 37% of their threes. I'm not sure this can last but the team is better than I expected.</li>
<li><b>Wichita State - </b>Everyone should know the Shockers by now. I'm not surprised they're MVC favorites but I am surprised at how well they're playing. This team lost three seniors from last year and I'm not aware of any impact freshmen on the roster. Last night's thirteen point win over BYU was a statement win. They've also got dates with St. Louis, Tennessee, and Alabama that warrant our attention. Gregg Marshall is one heck of a coach.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>Five Disappointing Teams</b></div>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Georgetown - </b>What. the. #%&*? Georgetown was many people's pick to win the new Big East. So far they're not inspiring anyone. A loss to Oregon is not a big deal, but Northeastern? Sure, they beat VCU but are we sure VCU is as good as the pollsters say? This team fouls too much and until they fix that they'll find themselves letting teams they should be putting away hanging around for far too long.</li>
<li><b>Kansas State - </b>Okay Illinois fans, maybe you were right. Year two in the Bruce Weber era is not off to a good start and I'm dubious this ship is going to be righted. Their best win is over Oral Roberts and have lost to No. Colorado, Charlotte, and Georgetown. Let's see what happens on December 5th when they face Ole Miss. That might make or break their season.</li>
<li><b>North Carolina State - </b>How do you lose to North Carolina Central at home? This team also lost by double digits to Cincinnati and doesn't have a quality win so far. They get Northwestern at home in the Big10/ACC Challenge. Since we already know Northwestern's a bottom tier Big Ten team, seeing how they fare in that game should be a good measuring stick. </li>
<li><b>Virginia Tech - </b>Lost at home to South Carolina Upstate, lost on a neutral site to Michigan State by 19, and lost in a pseudo-road game to Seton Hall. The defense just hasn't been up to snuff and makes me think the ACC's bottom half is going to drag the entire conference RPI down.</li>
<li><b>Marquette - </b>How do you only score 35 at home? Granted, Ohio State is a tough defense but 35 at home? Inexcusable. Losing at Arizona State by two is a tough luck loss and not one to dwell on. This team is talented but that home loss still has me shaking my head.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>The five best players so far are...</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Jabari Parker - Duke: </b>Parker has been incredible. He's hit over 60% of his threes, is getting to the line, and he's doing this in about 30 minutes a game. Some say he reminds them of Grant Hill - I'm inclined to think he's more like Antoine Walker - but right now he looks like the first overall pick in the NBA draft.</li>
<li><b>Marcus Smart - Oklahoma State:</b> Did we all see what he did <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400496865" target="_blank">against Memphis</a> last week? Who can guard him in college? He's 6'4" and built sort of like LeBron. He's quick enough to get by his man into the lane and he's improved his jump shot enough to where he doesn't <i>have</i> to drive on most plays. This is why he's averaging 21 points a game so far.</li>
<li><b>Doug McDermott - Creighton:</b> Mr. Efficiency himself. Dougie fresh is hitting 79% on his freebies, 57% on his twos, and 50% of his threes. The man may never be a great professional player but he reminds me so much of Wally Szczerbiak in that he can literally hit any shot.</li>
<li><b>Jahii Carson - Arizona State: </b>Carson is 5'10" yet most of his shots are layups. He's so quick that he can get by anybody. The sophomore is also hitting 56% of his three pointers and is averaging over 5 assists a game. He even put up 40 points against UNLV. Wowzah.</li>
<li><b>Tim Frazier - Penn State:</b> Is it possible Frazier's a better shooter than he was pre-injury? The early returns have me thinking yes. His per game averages thus far are 16 points, 7 assists, plus four rebounds and two steals. He's really really good.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>And finally, the best five teams to date are:</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Oklahoma State </b>- Marcus Smart is really good and he's got some good wingmen. </li>
<li><b>Michigan State </b>- I really like this team and think they're the class of the Big Ten but I'm not sure how much better they can get.</li>
<li><b>Arizona </b>- They haven't played anyone significant yet but I'm impressed with what I've seen. Don't forget about their super freshman Aaron Gordon either.</li>
<li><b>Kansas </b>- The win over Duke was impressive but I don't think this team's hit their groove yet. It's going to be quite a battle for the top in the Big 12.</li>
<li><b>Pitt</b> - I've already talked about these guys. The new ACC is going to be interesting to say the least.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-34898529900869262752013-11-17T09:27:00.001-06:002013-11-21T08:29:07.315-06:002013-2014 Men's Big Ten Basketball Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Now that I've previewed all twelve teams it's prediction time. Below I've listed my best guess at the conference standings as well as the awards. In April we can all<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXtWVMKOKhUDj3IqbyW8HlmOFpLfgJDOwsW_QI4oXvfgH_ePM7dC0ObY_hUNiLAC74vFS-CzDTFtdEAfTlK-HzrQthN9bs0WxrPgyf95JYe6CWc81fOdOLLimTOM7POpTvuIpnhbXt3cQ/s1600/michiganst.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXtWVMKOKhUDj3IqbyW8HlmOFpLfgJDOwsW_QI4oXvfgH_ePM7dC0ObY_hUNiLAC74vFS-CzDTFtdEAfTlK-HzrQthN9bs0WxrPgyf95JYe6CWc81fOdOLLimTOM7POpTvuIpnhbXt3cQ/s320/michiganst.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gary Harris & Adreian Payne may be the two<br />best players in the entire BIG conference.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
look back and see how wrong I am.<br />
<br />
<b>Standings</b><br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 177px;">
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<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 3029; mso-width-source: userset; width: 71pt;" width="71"></col>
<col span="2" style="width: 53pt;" width="53"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt; width: 71pt;" width="71"></td>
<td class="xl65" style="width: 53pt;" width="53"><b>W</b></td>
<td class="xl65" style="width: 53pt;" width="53"><b>L</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Michigan St.</td>
<td class="xl63">14</td>
<td class="xl63">4</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Wisconsin</td>
<td class="xl63">13</td>
<td class="xl63">5</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Ohio St.</td>
<td class="xl63">12</td>
<td class="xl63">6</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Michigan</td>
<td class="xl63">12</td>
<td class="xl63">6</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Purdue</td>
<td class="xl63">11</td>
<td class="xl63">7</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Iowa</td>
<td class="xl63">10</td>
<td class="xl63">6</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Indiana</td>
<td class="xl63">9</td>
<td class="xl63">9</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Illinois</td>
<td class="xl63">7</td>
<td class="xl63">11</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Penn St.</td>
<td class="xl63">6</td>
<td class="xl63">12</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Minnesota</td>
<td class="xl63">5</td>
<td class="xl63">13</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Northwestern</td>
<td class="xl63">4</td>
<td class="xl63">14</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">Nebraska</td>
<td class="xl63">4</td>
<td class="xl63">14</td>
</tr>
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</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<b>All Big Ten First Team</b><br />
G Aaron Craft - Ohio State<br />
G Gary Harris - Michigan State<br />
G Nik Stauskas - Michigan<br />
F Adreian Payne - Michigan State<br />
F Sam Dekker - Wisconsin<br />
<br />
<b>All Big Ten Second Team</b><br />
G Tim Frazier - Penn State<br />
G Josh Gasser - Wisconsin<br />
G Andre Hollins - Minnesota<br />
F Glenn Robinson III - Michigan<br />
C AJ Hammons - Purdue<br />
<br />
<b>Big Ten Freshmen Team</b><br />
G Derrick Walton, Jr. - Michigan<br />
G Tai Webster - Nebraska<br />
F Zak Irvine - Michigan<br />
F Kendall Stephens - Purdue<br />
C Noah Vonleh - Indiana<br />
<br />
<b>BIG Tournament Champ:</b> Michigan State<br />
<b>Defensive player of the Year:</b> Aaron Craft<br />
<b>Big Ten Player of the Year:</b> Adreian Payne<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-5815590052463007112013-11-16T19:22:00.000-06:002013-11-16T19:23:30.157-06:002013-14 Men's Big Ten Basketball Preview: P & W<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Today we preview the last three teams in the Big Ten. There might be a couple of surprises so read on!<br>
<br>
<b>Penn State Nittany Lions</b><br>
<b>Head Coach:</b> Patrick Chambers<br>
<b>Last Season: </b>10-21 (2-16), last in Big Ten<br>
<b>Graduated:</b> G Nick Colella<br>
<b>Transfered</b>: F Jermaine Marshall, F Jon Graham<br>
<b>Left Early:</b> F Sasa Borovnjak<br>
<b>New Faces:</b> Graham Woodward, Geno Thorpe, John Johnson (transfer)<br>
<b>2013 recap: </b>There was some optimism in State College entering the season and things were looking good after a mild upset victory over Providence in November. Unfortunately in the following game star point guard Tim Frazier suffered an achilles injury causing him to miss the rest of the season. Without their star player, the Penn State team fell into complete disarray and began the BIG season 0-14 before finally getting a victory against Michigan. When the season ended the second best player on the team, Jermaine Marshall, elected to transfer potentially setting back some <br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBV72HmGzeG9oUACh9T4Wi8MI4xDdSE6uj_d-Hwz9-ddXoI3aEVT_LrPyb6eY4EpCnmqHhmE6z38dlErg3Ki2BgjF9X_kmSzkPBxVV4kM-x_2c96atNzEJtfbzp0AV3IUNPlRIiONpkb3L/s1600/frazier.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBV72HmGzeG9oUACh9T4Wi8MI4xDdSE6uj_d-Hwz9-ddXoI3aEVT_LrPyb6eY4EpCnmqHhmE6z38dlErg3Ki2BgjF9X_kmSzkPBxVV4kM-x_2c96atNzEJtfbzp0AV3IUNPlRIiONpkb3L/s200/frazier.jpeg" width="200"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>May people have forgotten Tim Frazier is <br>one of the 10 best players in the conference.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
progress the team made during the year.<br>
<b>The Starters:</b><br>
<br>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 260px;">
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<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 1066; mso-width-source: userset; width: 25pt;" width="25">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 5888; mso-width-source: userset; width: 138pt;" width="138">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1749; mso-width-source: userset; width: 41pt;" width="41">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1024; mso-width-source: userset; width: 24pt;" width="24">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1365; mso-width-source: userset; width: 32pt;" width="32">
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<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt; width: 25pt;" width="25"><b>Pos</b></td>
<td class="xl64" style="width: 138pt;" width="138"><b>Players</b></td>
<td class="xl65" style="width: 41pt;" width="41"><b>Height</b></td>
<td class="xl65" style="width: 24pt;" width="24"><b>Wt</b></td>
<td class="xl64" style="width: 32pt;" width="32"><b>Year</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>PG</b></td>
<td>Tim Frazier</td>
<td class="xl63">6'1"</td>
<td class="xl63">170</td>
<td>Sr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>DJ Newbill</td>
<td class="xl63">6'4"</td>
<td class="xl63">205</td>
<td>Jr</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Brandon Taylor</td>
<td class="xl63">6'7"</td>
<td class="xl63">235</td>
<td>So.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Donovon Jack</td>
<td class="xl63">6'9"</td>
<td class="xl63">210</td>
<td>So.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td class="xl66">Ross Travis</td>
<td class="xl67">6'6"</td>
<td class="xl67">225</td>
<td class="xl66">Jr.</td>
</tr>
<!--EndFragment-->
</tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 310px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 22pt;" width="29"><col style="width: 121pt;" width="161"><col style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><col style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><col style="width: 28pt;" width="37"></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt; width: 22pt;" width="29"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 240px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 25pt;" width="25"><col style="width: 112pt;" width="112"><col style="width: 41pt;" width="41"><col style="width: 30pt;" width="30"><col style="width: 32pt;" width="32"></colgroup><tbody>
</tbody></table>
</td><td class="xl66" style="width: 121pt;" width="161"><br></td><td class="xl67" style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><br></td><td class="xl67" style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><br></td><td class="xl66" style="width: 28pt;" width="37"><br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 280px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 22pt;" width="29"><col style="width: 98pt;" width="131"><col style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><col style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><col style="width: 28pt;" width="37"></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><br></td><td class="xl66"><br></td><td class="xl67"><br></td><td class="xl67"><br></td><td class="xl66">.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Point guard Tim Frazier can do it all. He's one of the best passers in the nation, knows how to get to the rim, and as a result he gets to the line. It's not uncommon for him to also lead the team in rebounding. If he's back to form Penn State will be blessed with possibly the league's best player. DJ Newbill was forced to grow up quite a bit in Frazier's absence. He became more assertive shooting and learned how to facilitate the offense at the same time. Look for him to combine with Frazier to give the Nittany Lions one of the conference's best backcourts. Brandon Taylor is a solid rebounder but more of a role player on offense which works out perfectly for a team whose guards will take the majority of the shots. If Taylor can establish himself as a decent low post player to compliment his mid-range jumper he could find himself more involved as the season goes along. Donovan Jack is the "big man" on this team. Like Taylor, he showed potential as a freshman last year and looks to be an important component for this team's success. He'll be forced to guard the other big men in the conference and while that may seem daunting he appears to be a solid defensive player. Ross Travis is the energetic glue guy every team needs. Last season he averaged 7 points and 7 rebounds and coach Chambers has even said he's capable of guarding all five positions.<br>
<b>The Bench:</b><br>
<br>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 260px;">
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<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 1066; mso-width-source: userset; width: 25pt;" width="25">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 5888; mso-width-source: userset; width: 138pt;" width="138">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1749; mso-width-source: userset; width: 41pt;" width="41">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1024; mso-width-source: userset; width: 24pt;" width="24">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1365; mso-width-source: userset; width: 32pt;" width="32">
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt; width: 25pt;" width="25"><b>G</b></td>
<td style="width: 138pt;" width="138">Allen Roberts</td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 41pt;" width="41">6'3"</td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 24pt;" width="24">214</td>
<td style="width: 32pt;" width="32">Sr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Alan Wisniewski</td>
<td class="xl63">6'9"</td>
<td class="xl63">230</td>
<td>Sr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Graham Woodward</td>
<td class="xl63">6'0"</td>
<td class="xl63">170</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Geno Thorpe</td>
<td class="xl63">6'3"</td>
<td class="xl63">180</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Julian Moore</td>
<td class="xl63">6'10"</td>
<td class="xl63">215</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>John Johnson</td>
<td class="xl63">6'3"</td>
<td class="xl63">185</td>
<td>Jr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Payton Banks</td>
<td class="xl63">6'6"</td>
<td class="xl63">220</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
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</tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 310px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 22pt;" width="29"><col style="width: 121pt;" width="161"><col style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><col style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><col style="width: 28pt;" width="37"></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><td height="20" style="height: 15pt; width: 22pt;" width="29"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 240px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 25pt;" width="25"><col style="width: 112pt;" width="112"><col style="width: 41pt;" width="41"><col style="width: 30pt;" width="30"><col style="width: 32pt;" width="32"></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14pt;"><td height="14" style="height: 14pt; width: 25pt;" width="25"><br></td><td style="width: 112pt;" width="112"><br></td><td class="xl63" style="width: 41pt;" width="41"><br></td><td class="xl63" style="width: 30pt;" width="30"><br></td><td style="width: 32pt;" width="32"><br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td style="width: 121pt;" width="161"><br></td><td class="xl65" style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><br></td><td class="xl65" style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><br></td><td style="width: 28pt;" width="37"><br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The bench will likely be pretty short at least until John Johnson is eligible to participate in January. Guard Allen Roberts is a transfer from Miami (OH) who's experience should enable him to be a quality backup immediately. In MAC play he proved adept at drawing fouls and was a decent defender. Geno Thorpe and Graham Woodward are two freshmen who will also get minutes. Though not ranked in the Rivals top 150, the team seems excited to have them in their midst nonetheless. Alan Wisniewski will be counted on to provide quality minutes when one of the starting forwards sits. Freshmen Julian Moore and Payton Banks aren't expected to contribute much but the team could desperately use something out of them.<br>
<b>2014 Outlook:</b> With Tim Frazier back, Penn State is definitely improved from how they finished last season. The loss of Jermaine Marshall hurts as well as having two potential impact players unavailable to the team due to transfer rules. The non conference schedule is manageable and should give the team opportunity to sort out a rotation early. Only getting Michigan and Wisconsin once each helps their chances and as a result I expect a bit of a surprise season from the Nittany Lions.<br>
<b>Projection: </b>9th in Big Ten, NIT invite<br>
<br>
</div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/11/2013-14-mens-big-ten-basketball-preview_16.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-66039588003659347542013-11-15T12:12:00.002-06:002013-11-15T12:12:45.548-06:002013-14 Mens' Basketball Big Ten Preview: N & O<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the third set of team previews for the Big Ten. Today I'm breaking down N & O. It's not pretty.<br>
<br>
<b>Nebraska Cornhuskers</b><br>
<b>Head Coach:</b> Tim Miles<br>
<b>Last Season: </b>15-18 (5-13), tenth in Big Ten<br>
<b>Graduated:</b> G Dylan Talley, C Brandon Ubel, F Andre Almeida<br>
<b>Transfered</b>: None<br>
<b>Left Early:</b> None<br>
<b>New Faces:</b> Tai Webster, Nathan Hawkins, Nick Fuller<br>
<b>2013 recap: </b>Nebraska entered the season with no expectations and they didn't disappoint. In fact they may actually have brought a tad bit of excitement to some disillusioned fans. Predicted to finish dead last in the conference, they fought and clawed their way to a tenth place finish. They even upset Purdue in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Three starters graduated leaving the roster at its youngest since making the switch from the Big 12.<br>
<b>The Starters:</b><br>
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<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><td height="20" style="height: 15pt; width: 22pt;" width="29"><br>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 236px;">
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<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 1066; mso-width-source: userset; width: 25pt;" width="25">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 4778; mso-width-source: userset; width: 112pt;" width="112">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1749; mso-width-source: userset; width: 41pt;" width="41">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1109; mso-width-source: userset; width: 26pt;" width="26">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1365; mso-width-source: userset; width: 32pt;" width="32">
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt; width: 25pt;" width="25"><b>Pos</b></td>
<td class="xl64" style="width: 112pt;" width="112"><b>Players</b></td>
<td class="xl65" style="width: 41pt;" width="41"><b>Height</b></td>
<td class="xl65" style="width: 26pt;" width="26"><b>Wt</b></td>
<td class="xl64" style="width: 32pt;" width="32"><b>Year</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>PG</b></td>
<td>Tai Webster</td>
<td class="xl63">6'4"</td>
<td class="xl63">194</td>
<td> Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Ray Gallegos</td>
<td class="xl63">6'2"</td>
<td class="xl63">182</td>
<td> Sr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Shavon Shields</td>
<td class="xl63">6'7"</td>
<td class="xl63">219 </td>
<td>So.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Leslee Smith</td>
<td class="xl63">6'8"</td>
<td class="xl63">255</td>
<td>Jr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>C</b></td>
<td class="xl66">Walter Pitchford</td>
<td class="xl67">6'10"</td>
<td class="xl67">234</td>
<td class="xl66">So.</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Freshman Tai Webster is the top freshman on the team this season. He's a recruit from New Zealand and reports say that he's extremely talented on offense. He'll be looked upon to lead the team from the get-go with guard Ray Gallegos suspended. Gallegos really improved <br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSMrFlrkFkOQTq5Bk3qbbBIIPIjWOZ7bBzFzzEPNzmAjkFPXAKPsHEvw-SGYQikx_TXCnSJB9q9_Da4uU46vPKHlnRHRXYYqDqPj-pdDv7S2pYqyTwiVm7Yt2-AjflW5kvrPPdLvtleMl/s1600/rgallegos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSMrFlrkFkOQTq5Bk3qbbBIIPIjWOZ7bBzFzzEPNzmAjkFPXAKPsHEvw-SGYQikx_TXCnSJB9q9_Da4uU46vPKHlnRHRXYYqDqPj-pdDv7S2pYqyTwiVm7Yt2-AjflW5kvrPPdLvtleMl/s1600/rgallegos.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gallegos will need to be </i>on <i>the court not</i><br>
in <i>court to help Nebraska this season.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
his numbers as a junior specifically by increasing his scoring by ten points per game. He's the team's number one option on offense, at least until Webster establishes himself. Shavon Shields is listed as a guard but is more of an extremely poor man's Toni Kukoc (that is barely a compliment). If he makes the leap Nebraska may have something here. Leslee Smith is the type of guy you'd like to come off the bench but Nebraska's not quite there yet. He offers good length and can play out of the high post. Walter Pitchford is a work in progress at the center position. He's a transfer from Florida so he has some talent. He'll need to develop quickly to help the Cornhuskers stay competitive.<br>
<b>The Bench:</b><br>
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<tr height="14" style="height: 14pt;"><td height="14" style="height: 14pt; width: 25pt;" width="25"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 240px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 25pt;" width="25"><col style="width: 112pt;" width="112"><col style="width: 41pt;" width="41"><col style="width: 30pt;" width="30"><col style="width: 32pt;" width="32"></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14pt;"><td height="14" style="height: 14pt; width: 25pt;" width="25">
<br>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 236px;">
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<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 1066; mso-width-source: userset; width: 25pt;" width="25">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 4778; mso-width-source: userset; width: 112pt;" width="112">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1749; mso-width-source: userset; width: 41pt;" width="41">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1109; mso-width-source: userset; width: 26pt;" width="26">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1365; mso-width-source: userset; width: 32pt;" width="32">
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt; width: 25pt;" width="25"><b>F</b></td>
<td style="width: 112pt;" width="112">Terran Petteway</td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 41pt;" width="41">6'6"</td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 26pt;" width="26">209</td>
<td style="width: 32pt;" width="32">So.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>C</b></td>
<td>Kyle Kurowski</td>
<td class="xl63">6'11"</td>
<td class="xl63">214</td>
<td>Jr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Nathan Hawkins</td>
<td class="xl63">6'5"</td>
<td class="xl63">198</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Deverell Biggs</td>
<td class="xl63">6'0"</td>
<td class="xl63">175</td>
<td>Jr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Benny Parker</td>
<td class="xl63">5'9"</td>
<td class="xl63">166</td>
<td>So.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>David Rivers</td>
<td class="xl63">6'7"</td>
<td class="xl63">198</td>
<td>Jr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Nick Fuller</td>
<td class="xl63">6'6"</td>
<td class="xl63">199</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<!--EndFragment-->
</tbody></table>
</td><td style="width: 112pt;" width="112"><br></td><td class="xl63" style="width: 41pt;" width="41"><br></td><td class="xl63" style="width: 30pt;" width="30"><br></td><td style="width: 32pt;" width="32"><br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td style="width: 112pt;" width="112"><br></td><td class="xl63" style="width: 41pt;" width="41"><br></td><td class="xl63" style="width: 30pt;" width="30"><br></td><td style="width: 32pt;" width="32"><br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
Forward Terran Petteway is my pick for the team's breakout player. Last season as a freshman he was virtually invisible. Now, with a year of experience he should get an opportunity to prove himself. Center Kyle Kurowski will get minutes backing up Pitchford but don't expect him to make much of an impact in the box score. That's just not his game. Guards Nathan Hawkins, Benny Parker, Deverell Biggs, and David Rivers will be fighting for playing time amongst themselves. I'm not sure who the best option is here but expect the winner of this competition to have a prominent role in coach Miles' rotation. Freshman Nick Fuller may redshirt this season but his size and length are something that have Husker fans intrigued.<br>
<b>2014 Outlook:</b> The two transfers and three freshman recruits are a nice way to get Tim Miles on the right track. These players bring an improved athleticism and overall skill that the previous regime lacked. Plus now Nebraska has a state of the art facility in which to play their games. There will be excitement early but most of it won't be about the team. If things go right they can finish as high as 8th in the conference, I'm just not willing to bet on it.<br>
<b>Projection: </b>12th in Big Ten<br>
<br>
</div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/11/2013-14-mens-basketball-big-ten-preview_15.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-61865836690578718772013-11-09T09:58:00.000-06:002013-11-09T09:58:03.806-06:002013-14 Men's Big Ten Basketball Preview: The 3 M's<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm continuing with the preseason preview for each of the Big Ten schools. Today's post covers the three schools beginning with the letter M.<br>
<br>
<b>Michigan Wolverines</b><br>
<b>Head Coach:</b> John Beilein<br>
<b>Last Season: </b>31-8 (12-6), tied for 4th in Big Ten, lost in NCAA championship game to Louisville<br>
<b>Graduated:</b> None<br>
<b>Transfered</b>: None<br>
<b>Left Early:</b> PG Trey Burke, G Tim Hardaway, Jr.<br>
<b>New Faces:</b> Zak Irvine (#24), Derrick Walton (#37), Mark Donnal, Sean Lonergran, Andrew Dakich<br>
<b>2013 recap: </b>Michigan ripped off sixteen straight wins to start the season before falling at Ohio State in January. They hit a bit of a rough patch in the middle of the conference season but still finished tied for fourth in the conference. A loss at the hands of Wisconsin in the third round of the Big Ten tournament had many wondering if the Wolverines already peaked. Worry not as Trey Burke <br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhUVkbGw4Arcq0dJntkmDvzapwyU6oLfybBhHRDCgW7odNO3zLh61M3N45t2Nm0IsqzhOBvlvp6zZAD7Y5CUuEv7TIo3ggCDQeGcrD4RnZm7ghjPEg_NX4d5ie4izojIa-Bc8CmfZjIsJ/s1600/nstauskas.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhUVkbGw4Arcq0dJntkmDvzapwyU6oLfybBhHRDCgW7odNO3zLh61M3N45t2Nm0IsqzhOBvlvp6zZAD7Y5CUuEv7TIo3ggCDQeGcrD4RnZm7ghjPEg_NX4d5ie4izojIa-Bc8CmfZjIsJ/s1600/nstauskas.jpeg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Nik Stauskas might be the best three<br>point shooter in the country this season.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
and Co. rounded into form and marched all the way to the NCAA Tournament Championship game by beating Kansas, Florida, and Syracuse to get there. Louisville proved to be too much, however, and UM had to settle for second place. During the summer both starting guards Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway, Jr. were selected in the first round of the NBA draft which proves how talented these individuals were but also left behind some very big shoes to fill for 2013-14.<br>
<b>The Starters:</b><br>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 310px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 22pt;" width="29"><col style="width: 121pt;" width="161"><col style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><col style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><col style="width: 28pt;" width="37"></colgroup><tbody>
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<br>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 240px;">
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<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 1066; mso-width-source: userset; width: 25pt;" width="25">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 4778; mso-width-source: userset; width: 112pt;" width="112">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1749; mso-width-source: userset; width: 41pt;" width="41">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1280; mso-width-source: userset; width: 30pt;" width="30">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1365; mso-width-source: userset; width: 32pt;" width="32">
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt; width: 25pt;" width="25"><b>Pos</b></td>
<td class="xl64" style="width: 112pt;" width="112"><b>Player</b></td>
<td class="xl65" style="width: 41pt;" width="41"><b>Height</b></td>
<td class="xl65" style="width: 30pt;" width="30"><b>Wt</b></td>
<td class="xl64" style="width: 32pt;" width="32"><b>Year</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>PG</b></td>
<td>Derrick Walton</td>
<td class="xl63">6'1"</td>
<td class="xl63">185</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Nik Stauskas</td>
<td class="xl63">6'6"</td>
<td class="xl63">205</td>
<td>So.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Glenn Robinson III</td>
<td class="xl63">6'6"</td>
<td class="xl63">220</td>
<td>So.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Jordan Morgan</td>
<td class="xl63">6'8"</td>
<td class="xl63">250</td>
<td>Sr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td class="xl68" height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>C</b></td>
<td class="xl66">Mitch McGary</td>
<td class="xl67">6'10"</td>
<td class="xl67">255</td>
<td class="xl66">So.</td>
</tr>
<!--EndFragment-->
</tbody></table>
</td><td class="xl66" style="width: 121pt;" width="161"><br></td><td class="xl67" style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><br></td><td class="xl67" style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><br></td><td class="xl66" style="width: 28pt;" width="37"><br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 280px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 22pt;" width="29"><col style="width: 98pt;" width="131"><col style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><col style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><col style="width: 28pt;" width="37"></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><br></td><td class="xl66"><br></td><td class="xl67"><br></td><td class="xl67"><br></td><td class="xl66">.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Freshman Derrick Walton looks like the odds on favorite to start at point guard this season. His decision making will be tested but reports are he's a talent that's way too good to keep on the bench. It looks like he has a well rounded skill set and should be able to fill up the stat sheet each game. Nike Stauskas was perhaps the least talked about freshman on the team last season but the one that impressed me the most. He's an excellent shooter who cannot be left open at any time (44% from 3 last year). His ability to take care of the ball and make the right pass ensure he'll have an increased role on offense this season too. Plus, he's tall and long making him a great fit for Beilein's 1-3-1 zone ensuring that he'll be on the floor plenty this season. The team is counting on Glenn Robinson III to step up and become an elite playmaker. There's no questioning he has the potential and with up to four freshmen in the rotation the team would like him to step up his game. Last year he was an effective player but was playing third or fourth fiddle to the now NBA guys and Mitch McGrary. He hit 32% of his threes but only 67% from the line. His mid-range game is impressive but sometimes he lacks the killer instinct to beat his man with a dribble drive. Forward Jordan Morgan is not one to hog the ball. His most important contributions come on defense where he excels at holding his ground and keeping his man in front of him. If he's able to cut down on his turnovers and improve his foul shooting this Michigan offense could be nearly unstoppable. Mitch McGrary could miss the first few games of the season with an injury. The timetable for his return is uncertain but I remember hearing earlier that his goal was to be back for conference play.<br>
<b>The Bench:</b><br>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 310px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 22pt;" width="29"><col style="width: 121pt;" width="161"><col style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><col style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><col style="width: 28pt;" width="37"></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><td height="20" style="height: 15pt; width: 22pt;" width="29">
<br>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 240px;">
<!--StartFragment-->
<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 1066; mso-width-source: userset; width: 25pt;" width="25">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 4778; mso-width-source: userset; width: 112pt;" width="112">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1749; mso-width-source: userset; width: 41pt;" width="41">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1280; mso-width-source: userset; width: 30pt;" width="30">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1365; mso-width-source: userset; width: 32pt;" width="32">
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt; width: 25pt;" width="25">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 240px;">
<!--StartFragment-->
<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 1066; mso-width-source: userset; width: 25pt;" width="25">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 4778; mso-width-source: userset; width: 112pt;" width="112">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1749; mso-width-source: userset; width: 41pt;" width="41">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1280; mso-width-source: userset; width: 30pt;" width="30">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1365; mso-width-source: userset; width: 32pt;" width="32">
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt; width: 25pt;" width="25"><b>F</b></td>
<td style="width: 112pt;" width="112">Jon Horford</td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 41pt;" width="41">6'10"</td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 30pt;" width="30">250</td>
<td style="width: 32pt;" width="32">Jr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Caris LeVert</td>
<td class="xl63">6'6"</td>
<td class="xl63">185</td>
<td>So.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Zak Irvin</td>
<td class="xl63">6'6"</td>
<td class="xl63">200</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Spike Albrecht</td>
<td class="xl63">5'11"</td>
<td class="xl63">175</td>
<td>So.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Max Biefeldt</td>
<td class="xl63">6'7"</td>
<td class="xl63">245</td>
<td>So.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Andrew Dakich</td>
<td class="xl63">6'2"</td>
<td class="xl63">185</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;">
<td height="14" style="height: 14.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Sean Lonergan</td>
<td class="xl63">6'5"</td>
<td class="xl63">195</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<!--EndFragment-->
</tbody></table>
</td><td style="width: 112pt;" width="112"><br></td><td class="xl63" style="width: 41pt;" width="41"><br></td><td class="xl63" style="width: 30pt;" width="30"><br></td><td style="width: 32pt;" width="32"><br></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>
</td><td style="width: 121pt;" width="161"><br></td><td class="xl65" style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><br></td><td class="xl65" style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><br></td><td style="width: 28pt;" width="37"><br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 280px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 22pt;" width="29"><col style="width: 98pt;" width="131"><col style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><col style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><col style="width: 28pt;" width="37"></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><td height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><br></td><td><br></td><td class="xl65"><br></td><td class="xl65"><br></td><td>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Forward Jon Horford may be starting while McGrary is out. He's a solid rebounder and his size enables him to be effective in the block by getting layups and freebies from the charity stripe. He can struggle with turnovers. Reports out of camp and the early preseason games say LeVert's game has improved by leaps and bounds. Look for him to get plenty of minutes off the bench. Zak Irvin is a shooter. He and LeVert could compliment each other quite well with LeVert using his penetration ability to free up Irvin for open shots. Albrecht is a decent backup point guard who is still working on cutting turnovers. Max Biefeldt may be counted on for more minutes if the starting bigs get into foul trouble. He has trouble defending the rim and often finds himself out jumped by the man he's guarding. Freshmen Andrew Dakich and Sean Lonergan will likely see only a few minutes while this looks like a red-shirt year for freshman Mark Donnal.<br>
<b>2014 Outlook:</b> This is another young team with only two upper classmen. There are some challenging games on the schedule early including Duke, Arizona, and Iowa State. These games should give a good indication of how ready this team is to compete in the Big Ten. I think they'll be one of the better shooting teams and their defensive scheme often gives teams fits. Ultimately, McGrary's health will play a big part in how far this team can go in March. I think an upper have finish in the conference is a lock.<br>
<b>Projection: </b>3rd in Big Ten, qualify for NCAA Tournament<br>
<br>
</div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/11/2013-14-mens-big-ten-basketball-preview.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-15722748186648728912013-11-06T18:12:00.000-06:002013-11-06T19:29:54.596-06:002013-14 Men's Basketball Big Ten Preview - The Three I's<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I started to write all twelve teams at once but felt the overall quality was lacking. Instead I'll break my preview up into groups of three in an attempt to give a better preview for each team. Today we'll start with the three schools who begin with the letter I.<br>
<br>
<b>Illinois Fighting Illini</b><br>
<b>Head Coach:</b> John Groce<br>
<b>Last Season: </b>23-13 (8-10), lost in second round of NCAA Tournament to Miami<br>
<b>Graduated:</b> G Brandon Paul, G DJ Richardson, F Tyler Griffey, G Sam McLaurin<br>
<b>Transfered</b>: F Myke Henry<br>
<b>Left Early:</b> None<br>
<b>New Faces:</b> G Kendrick Nunn (#60), F Malcolm Hill (#62), F Austin Colbert (#97), G Rayvonte Rice (transfer), F Jon Eckey (transfer), G Jaylon Tate, C Maverick Morgan<br>
<b>2013 recap: </b>Illinois was coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in school history last year causing coach Bruce Weber to lose his job. Enter John Groce from Ohio University. Taking the same squad (minus Meyers Leonard) Weber left behind, Groce was able to steer his team into the NCAA tournament and almost into the Sweet 16. The Illini started off hot, winning their first twelve games <br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZINI23Z6KWO8SXeL3ceKMkfLo-Z0O53h_ROUTJr5xJ5_W5YrbkMvMtyDIxstGNIrMWsSVKshHcuoC1vIaYwnQkWoKdg0UDueDdwm6QAcT19U5p8Cg-Eq9cD08qqRT3a-_LFtFA3UCUQ16/s1600/tracyabrams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZINI23Z6KWO8SXeL3ceKMkfLo-Z0O53h_ROUTJr5xJ5_W5YrbkMvMtyDIxstGNIrMWsSVKshHcuoC1vIaYwnQkWoKdg0UDueDdwm6QAcT19U5p8Cg-Eq9cD08qqRT3a-_LFtFA3UCUQ16/s320/tracyabrams.jpg" width="211"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Abrams is the unquestioned leader for U of I.<br>Let's see if the many freshmen can follow.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
before falling to Missouri. Though they finished the conference slate with a losing record they were able to acquire big wins over Ohio State and Indiana. This enabled the Fighting Illini to earn a #7 seed. A win over Colorado matched them up with #2 Miami and they took them to the wire before falling by four. It was a bittersweet end for the seniors on the team - no they didn't reach a Final Four but after 2012's debacle they were able to return to the NCAA's and win a game.<br>
<b>The Starters:</b><br>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 310px;">
<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 1060; mso-width-source: userset; width: 22pt;" width="29">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 5888; mso-width-source: userset; width: 121pt;" width="161">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1755; mso-width-source: userset; width: 36pt;" width="48">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1280; mso-width-source: userset; width: 26pt;" width="35">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1353; mso-width-source: userset; width: 28pt;" width="37">
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt; width: 22pt;" width="29"><br></td>
<td class="xl66" style="width: 121pt;" width="161"><b>Player</b></td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><b>Height</b></td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><b>Wt</b></td>
<td class="xl66" style="width: 28pt;" width="37"><b>Year</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>PG</b></td>
<td>Tracy Abrams</td>
<td class="xl65">6'2"</td>
<td class="xl65">190</td>
<td>Jr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Kendrick Nunn</td>
<td class="xl65">6'3"</td>
<td class="xl65">180</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Joseph Bertrand</td>
<td class="xl65">6'6"</td>
<td class="xl65">200</td>
<td>Sr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Jon Ekey</td>
<td class="xl65">6'7"</td>
<td class="xl65">225</td>
<td>Sr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl68" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>C</b></td>
<td class="xl68">Nnanna Egwu</td>
<td class="xl69">6'11"</td>
<td class="xl69">235</td>
<td class="xl68">Jr.</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 280px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 22pt;" width="29"><col style="width: 98pt;" width="131"><col style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><col style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><col style="width: 28pt;" width="37"></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><br></td><td class="xl66"><br></td><td class="xl67"><br></td><td class="xl67"><br></td><td class="xl66">.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gone is Brandon Paul who posted one of the highest usage rates in the country and second highest in the Big Ten. Gone is three year starter DJ Richardson and two year starter Tyler Griffey. Returning is Tracy Abrams who is the unquestioned man at the point. Last season he struggled as a three point shooter (27%) and his turnovers were a little high. He'll need to improve in both facets this season if the Illini are going to present any kind of challenge for the Big Ten crown. With Groce's offense relying heavily on guard play, freshman guard Kendrick Nunn looks to seize a starting spot as a combo guard. A product out of Simeon High School in Chicago, Nunn excels at beating his man off the dribble but his three point shot may be shaky at first which could doom the Illini's attempt to space the floor. Guard Joseph Bertrand also seems to have locked down a starting job. Last season he led the team in free throw percentage (77%) but he only attempted 44 of them. He'll need to get to the line more this season and take fewer three point attempts to help improve the efficiency of the offense. Defensively, Bertrand is underrated. His long arms allow him to reach into passing lanes and poke the ball away. Jon Eckey seems to have secured the power forward spot with ease. While not physically imposing, Eckey is known for his shot-blocking ability. He prefers to face the basket as his post-up game is virtually non-existent. Look for the Illini to rely on him to hit several mid-range jumpers a game in an attempt to clear the lane for their quick guards. Nnanna Egwu continues to improve but now the Illini are going to need him more than ever. With an influx of talented centers in the conference Egwu will be tested on a nightly basis. Hopefully for Illini fans he'll be able to improve on his 6.5 points per game and 5 rebounds per game averages from last season.<br>
<b>The Bench:</b><br>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 310px;">
<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 1060; mso-width-source: userset; width: 22pt;" width="29">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 5888; mso-width-source: userset; width: 121pt;" width="161">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1755; mso-width-source: userset; width: 36pt;" width="48">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1280; mso-width-source: userset; width: 26pt;" width="35">
<col style="mso-width-alt: 1353; mso-width-source: userset; width: 28pt;" width="37">
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt; width: 22pt;" width="29"><b>G</b></td>
<td style="width: 121pt;" width="161">Rayvonte Rice</td>
<td class="xl65" style="width: 36pt;" width="48">6'4"</td>
<td class="xl65" style="width: 26pt;" width="35">235</td>
<td style="width: 28pt;" width="37">Jr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Mike LaTulip</td>
<td class="xl65">6'1"</td>
<td class="xl65">170</td>
<td>So.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Malcolm Hill</td>
<td class="xl65">6'6"</td>
<td class="xl65">210</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>C</b></td>
<td>Maverick Morgan</td>
<td class="xl65">6'10"</td>
<td class="xl65">250</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>G</b></td>
<td>Jaylon Tate</td>
<td class="xl65">6'3"</td>
<td class="xl65">160</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Austin Colbert</td>
<td class="xl65">6'9"</td>
<td class="xl65">210</td>
<td>Fr.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>F</b></td>
<td>Darius Paul</td>
<td class="xl65">6'8"</td>
<td class="xl65">220</td>
<td>So.</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 280px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 22pt;" width="29"><col style="width: 98pt;" width="131"><col style="width: 36pt;" width="48"><col style="width: 26pt;" width="35"><col style="width: 28pt;" width="37"></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><td height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><br></td><td><br></td><td class="xl65"><br></td><td class="xl65"><br></td><td>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The bench is filled with freshmen who will fight and claw their way in to some form of a pecking order during the non-conference season. I really don't have much information to add on these players except that Rice and Hill will be leaned on heavily for minutes. If either or both of these two shows to be a capable three point shooter and solid defender they will find themselves getting a boatload of minutes. Maverick Morgan has plenty of size and seems to have established himself as Egwu's backup. Getting exposure in the Big Ten as a freshman can do wonders for his development down the road. Forwards Darius Paul and Austin Colbert will also find themselves on the floor a lot early on as they look to provide depth.<br>
<b>2014 Outlook:</b> This is a young team that may struggle mightily out of the gate as Groce figures out which players work best together. There don't appear to be any players that will be able to consistently hit three pointers which may cause floor spacing to be an issue. Groce's teams typically aren't ones to crack down on defense either so offensive efficiency will make or break them on most nights. There is a lot of talent on hand and the team will improve as the season goes along and may even score a couple of upsets along the way. It seems unlikely that this team will be able to finish with a winning record in conference play which puts them squarely in the NIT.<br>
<b>Projection: </b>8th in Big Ten, NIT bid<br>
<br>
</div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/11/2013-14-mens-basketball-big-ten-preview.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-598672085988453332013-08-25T10:00:00.000-05:002013-08-25T10:06:14.044-05:00All Time All Stars - Orioles/Browns Pitchers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Orioles hitting was a bit of a let down. The infield combination is really quite impressive with Brooks, Cal, and Eddie Murray all ranking in the top ten and possibly top five at their respective positions. The power and defense each brings to the table may make it a top five unit when it's all said and done. The outfield, however, left much to be desired leaving us looking to the pitching if there is to be any hope of competing with the Yankees and Red Sox. The franchise has featured several good pitching staffs throughout it's history especially in the late '60s and early '70s when Baltimore was the class of the American League. Here's the staff from the 1973 game:<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Steve Barber</li>
<li>Mike Cuellar</li>
<li>Dave McNally</li>
<li>Jim Palmer</li>
<li>Milt Pappas</li>
<li>Jack Powell</li>
<li>Urban Shocker</li>
<li>Dick Hall RP</li>
<li>Stu Miller RP</li>
</ul>
<div>
It's nice that Palmer, Cuellar, and McNally all made the team considering they were in the middle of their careers in 1973. Urban Shocker is an excellent choice as well and would probably be the #3 or #4 starter on this team. Adding Stu Miller was a great choice since he was such a good reliever in a time where relievers were not glorified. Still, this staff isn't particularly scary and lacks the elite talent of Chicago, Cleveland, and even New York.<br />
<br />
Here's the updated staff as I see it:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Original Locks:</b><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/palmeji01.shtml" target="_blank">Jim Palmer</a> - The lone Hall of Famer of the bunch. He won three Cy Young awards, 20 games eight times, and led the league in ERA twice.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pappami01.shtml" target="_blank">Milt Pappas</a> - Never won 20 games in a season but he was consistently very good and never had a losing season in Baltimore.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/shockur01.shtml" target="_blank">Urban Shocker</a> - The best pitcher in Browns history with a compiled record of 126-80 in seven seasons and an ERA+ of 127.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/millest01.shtml" target="_blank">Stu Miller</a> - Spent only five of his sixteen year journeyman career in Baltimore but he is arguably the best reliever they've ever had. He led the league in saves twice and even won an ERA title as a swingman in 1958.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcnalda01.shtml" target="_blank">Dave McNally</a> - Spent all but his last season in an Oriole uniform and won 181 games with the club including four straight 20 win seasons and three straight top 5 Cy Young finishes.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cuellmi01.shtml" target="_blank">Mike Cuellar</a> - Cuellar also had four 20 win seasons in an Oriole uniform and was part of the famed 1971 rotation that featured four 20 game winners. Won the A.L. Cy Young award in 1969.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/powelja01.shtml" target="_blank">Jack Powell</a> - Won 245 games in his career though we're discarding his first three seasons since they took place prior to 1901. Once completed 40 games in a season and led the league in saves twice.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyyza9j7E-ybXkIIgIz9fz1e_7NTl8ZNpuDojtwZ-YPv50D28ZNmuwbhdRGoQ0Kpnpgq-gOg7ddkLoKncv5TxwRDCU_Cfhzs2NfsLSzEY-_wAxEJlwBEXqsweaKgMe5HvmE3smho2Sino/s1600/mussina.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyyza9j7E-ybXkIIgIz9fz1e_7NTl8ZNpuDojtwZ-YPv50D28ZNmuwbhdRGoQ0Kpnpgq-gOg7ddkLoKncv5TxwRDCU_Cfhzs2NfsLSzEY-_wAxEJlwBEXqsweaKgMe5HvmE3smho2Sino/s1600/mussina.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Your knuckle-curve is welcome here.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>New guys that are locks</b>: </div>
<div>
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mussimi01.shtml" target="_blank">Mike Mussina</a> - The second best pitcher in franchise history after Palmer. If he had not left for New York in the middle of his career he would hold numerous franchise records. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/flanami01.shtml" target="_blank">Mike Flanagan</a> - Flanagan spent 15 years in Baltimore posting a 141-116 record. He ranks 11th in franchise history in pitcher WAR.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/olsongr01.shtml" target="_blank">Gregg Olson</a> - Olson is the best closer in franchise history though he had arm troubles throughout his career. Earned 160 saves in five seasons.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Mussina's addition is paramount to the success as now the team can boast a solid 1-2 combo with Palmer. That allows Shocker, McNally, and Cuellar to round out the rotation. Combining Olson with Miller for late inning situations is also an improvement over the Barber-Miller combo in 1973. The Orioles did well here though there still are a couple of shaky guys once you get past the five starters in Powell and Flanagan. In conclusion, the Orioles rotation looks good and though it may not have the star firepower some of the other original franchises boast, it's no pushover and will stand up well against other teams as we continue to move along in the All Time All Stars series.</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-31355249253405535042013-08-24T19:32:00.002-05:002013-08-24T19:32:45.586-05:00All Time All Stars - Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>This is part of an on-going series in which I attempt to update the rosters from Sports Illustrated's All Time All Stars board game created in 1973. My intention is to update the game so I can incorporate modern day stars with the All Time All Stars.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7FR-GsIv4jeTGTObaV35ENeprGy4Pwgv7nSIGiqsbhu60nxFaUtfZMGvKps6vJ03V8dfkfIemkGj4DWdkS62z_6EzVMeBcGXz18B44MLGTySk6GOsi9l4YH4tmnqEyP7G-urLX7t2JdK/s1600/glovebirds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7FR-GsIv4jeTGTObaV35ENeprGy4Pwgv7nSIGiqsbhu60nxFaUtfZMGvKps6vJ03V8dfkfIemkGj4DWdkS62z_6EzVMeBcGXz18B44MLGTySk6GOsi9l4YH4tmnqEyP7G-urLX7t2JdK/s320/glovebirds.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Imagine having these two guys on the left-hand side<br>of your infield. Best combination ever? </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</i><br>
<br>
The Baltimore Orioles rank eighth in wins out of the American League teams. That might seem pretty good until you consider they are one of the eight original franchises dating back to their days in St. Louis. Unable to find much success in The Gateway to the West and tired of sharing Sportsman Park with the Cardinals, the franchise packed up and moved east. In Baltimore they've won three championships and fielded many great players. It's the first 53 years of their history that set them back. The 1973 All Time roster wasn't so bad but it lacked superstar power. Let's go through their greatest players and update their roster.<br>
<br>
Again, a reminder of the guidelines for choosing players:<br>
<ul>
<li>Each team must be composed of fifteen (15) position players and ten (10) pitchers.</li>
<li>At least one pitcher must be a relief pitcher</li>
<li>Each position must have at least two players on the roster who can capably fill it. Think of this as having a starter and a backup. </li>
<li>At least one player chosen to represent a position must have played that position as their primary defensive position. For instance, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth cannot be chosen as the only two representatives at first base since neither played there for the majority of their career.</li>
<li>Players must have been active no earlier than 1901. I chose 1901 since that was the first year of the American League. We need a cutoff at some point and this seemed logical to me. If a player accumulated stats prior to 1901 (Cy Young for instance) these stats will be disregarded.</li>
<li>To be eligible for a position a player must have played one full season as a starter there or 10% of his career games. The same goes for starting and relieving.</li>
<li>The team a player represents should be the one that makes the most sense for that player. For instance, Alex Rodriguez has played for three teams but he's played 300 more games as a Yankee than a Mariner. He won an MVP as a Yankee and has more career WAR as a Yankee. Therefore, he's going to be on the Yankee roster.</li>
<li>Batter handedness should not impact the players chosen.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here we go...<br>
</div></div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-time-all-stars-baltimore-oriolesst.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-14993148534850421622013-08-19T20:21:00.001-05:002013-08-19T20:27:00.969-05:00All Time All Stars - Cleveland Indians Pitchers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>This is part of an on-going series in which I attempt to update the rosters from Sports Illustrated's All Time All Stars board game created in 1973. My intention is to update the game so I can incorporate modern day stars with the All Time All Stars.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Here are the nine guys Sports Illustrated chose for the staff in 1973:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Stan Coveleski SP</li>
<li>Bob Feller SP</li>
<li>Wes Ferrell SP</li>
<li>Mike Garcia SP/RP</li>
<li>Mel Harder SP/RP</li>
<li>Addie Joss SP</li>
<li>Bob Lemon SP</li>
<li>Sam McDowell SP</li>
<li>Early Wynn SP</li>
</ul>
<div>
This staff has a bit of everything. An evenly divided staff of left-handers and right-handers gives this team supreme flexibility and if we're talking about how each guy pitched, well, you name it and they've got it. There's a spitballer (Coveleski), a junk baller (Ferrell), and a some guys<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbjK5htd8EsOfKfQtXdMdSNIi60HyXGY5rQw6g1o3FjvGaYjecZzXoIdaNnXoY1BwIKphgp1yJdr9uFkxvvv84-mDt3s3Ik2ZSFzIKlKylscZYlaw45nEVntuxVEIrypi-NShvydUycaM/s1600/bfeller.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbjK5htd8EsOfKfQtXdMdSNIi60HyXGY5rQw6g1o3FjvGaYjecZzXoIdaNnXoY1BwIKphgp1yJdr9uFkxvvv84-mDt3s3Ik2ZSFzIKlKylscZYlaw45nEVntuxVEIrypi-NShvydUycaM/s1600/bfeller.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Those of you who think Nolan Ryan was one<br />of the greatest pitchers ever might want to<br />take a hard look at Mr. Feller here.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
with serious heat (Feller, Garcia, McDowell). <br />
The Indians pitching staff is a lot like that of the White Sox in that it's very deep. There aren't as many Hall of Famers in a Cleveland uniform but the great pitchers in franchise history are not from the Dead Ball Era and thus we can relate to their stats much more easily. Still, there has to be room for improvement, right? As I see it seven of these guys are definite locks. They're listed below.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Original Locks:</b> <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fellebo01.shtml" target="_blank">Bob Feller</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wynnea01.shtml" target="_blank">Early Wynn</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lemonbo01.shtml" target="_blank">Bob Lemon</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/ferrewe01.shtml" target="_blank">Wes Ferrell</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/covelst01.shtml" target="_blank">Stan Coveleski</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jossad01.shtml" target="_blank">Addie Joss</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hardeme01.shtml" target="_blank">Mel Harder</a></div>
<div>
Bob Feller is one of the greatest pitchers of all time. He won 20 games six times and led the league in strikeouts seven times. The Nolan Ryan of his generation except better in my opinion. Early Wynn never had a season that jumps out to make you believe he was one of the greats. Still, he won 300 games in his career which included five 20 win seasons. He also led the league in strikeouts twice, and innings pitched three times. Wes Ferrell won 20 games six times including four in a row with the Indians. He might be the best hitting pitcher of all time as well. Due to WWII Lemon did not make his MLB debut until he was 25. He still won 207 games with seven 20 win seasons. He also made seven all star teams. Coveleski won 20 games six times and retired with a .602 career winning percentage. He led the league in ERA twice and shutouts twice. Addie Joss didn't pitch long but he retired with the second best ERA of all time. Regarded as one of the smartest pitchers of his era, Joss never posted a losing record and his career WHIP is the best in MLB history. Harder was a career Indian, winning all 223 of his games in a Cleveland uniform. He ranks first in games and third in pitcher WAR in team history.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>New guys that are locks</b>: None<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
</div>
<div>
There have been several pitchers who deserve consideration but none that stack up with the incredible talent already at hand. Below are the guys, who in my estimation, are the best of the rest.<br />
<br />
<b>Guys to consider:</b></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/candito01.shtml" target="_blank">Tom Candiotti</a> - The knuckleballer played for some terrible Indian teams but still managed to post a winning record. Won 151 games in his career.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colonba01.shtml" target="_blank">Bartolo Colon</a> - Had a .625 winning percentage with the Indians, the big guy just never seemed to take that next step to stardom. Won a Cy Young in 2001.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/garcimi01.shtml" target="_blank">Mike Garcia</a> - Helped round out the great Indians staff of the 1940s and '50s that included Feller, Wynn, and Lemon. He led the league in ERA twice and was a three time all star. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/leecl02.shtml" target="_blank">Cliff Lee</a> - Struggled with consistency with the Indians but won the Cy Young his last year in town. A four time all star.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcdowsa01.shtml" target="_blank">Sam McDowell</a> - I don't really know how to describe McDowell. It's like he was part Randy Johnson (left handed, threw <i>really </i>hard) and part Mark Langston in that he was never as good as his stuff indicated he should be. Led the league in strikeouts five times and walks five times. Also made six all star teams and won 20 games once.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nagych01.shtml" target="_blank">Charles Nagy</a> - Spent all but his final two games with Chief Wahoo on his hat. Was the big game pitcher for the resurgent Indian teams of the 1990s. A three time all star.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sabatc.01.shtml" target="_blank">CC Sabathia</a> - I love Sabathia and that admiration only grew for what he accomplished with Milwaukee after he was traded away from the Indians. Had 20 complete games in a three year stretch and is probably the best bet of all active pitchers to win 300 games. He currently has 202.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/u/uhlege01.shtml" target="_blank">George Uhle</a> - A forgotten man in history. Won 20 games three times and in 1926 threw 32 complete games out of 36 starts. </li>
</ul>
<b>Pick a reliever:</b><br />
Who is the best relief pitcher in Cleveland's history? I honestly have no clue. Here's who I've narrowed it down to:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesdo01.shtml" target="_blank">Doug Jones</a> - I think because he was able to hang around for a long time people forgot how good he was in the first half of his career. Ranks second in Indians history in saves.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mesajo01.shtml" target="_blank">Jose Mesa</a> - Look what he did in 1995. Incredible. Saved 104 games in basically three seasons.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/plunker01.shtml" target="_blank">Eric Plunk</a> - I always laughed at his name when I was a kid but the man got people out. He was Mesa's primary set-up man in 1995 and was nearly as effective. He never had the peak Mesa had but had a more consistent career.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wickmbo01.shtml" target="_blank">Bob Wickman</a> - Probably not the best candidate but he was in town forever and had a few nice seasons. Franchise leader in saves for a career.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Ok, to recap we've got seven locks with three spots to go. One must be a reliever and the other two will be out of the starting pitching group. The poll is up so go ahead and vote!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-44558417151177875542013-08-18T07:36:00.002-05:002013-08-19T07:41:09.717-05:00All Time All Stars - Cleveland Indians<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>This is part of an on-going series in which I attempt to update the rosters from Sports Illustrated's All Time All Stars board game created in 1973. My intention is to update the game so I can incorporate modern day stars with the All Time All Stars.</i><br>
<br>
The Cleveland Indians, like the other teams I've done thus far, are one of the original eight American League franchises. In the 1990s they boasted perhaps baseball's best offense with the likes of Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, and Jim Thome in the lineup. Sadly they failed to win a World Series and free agency robbed them of their home grown talent. Their history is filled with great players yet they've only won two championships and none since 1948. In fact the 1970s and 1980s were so bad the team posted only three seasons with winning records and none was good enough to enable them finish better than fourth. There's a reason the movie makers picked the Cleveland Indians when making <i>Major League</i>. Still, as I said earlier, there are plenty of great players to choose from in this franchise's history. By my count there are seven Hall of Famers on Sports Illustrated's All Time All Star roster in 1973. Let's see how we can improve the team 40 years later.<br>
<br>
Again, a reminder of the guidelines for choosing players:<br>
<ul>
<li>Each team must be composed of fifteen (15) position players and ten (10) pitchers.</li>
<li>At least one pitcher must be a relief pitcher</li>
<li>Each position must have at least two players on the roster who can capably fill it. Think of this as having a starter and a backup. </li>
<li>At least one player chosen to represent a position must have played that position as their primary defensive position. For instance, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth cannot be chosen as the only two representatives at first base since neither played there for the majority of their career.</li>
<li>Players must have been active no earlier than 1901. I chose 1901 since that was the first year of the American League. We need a cutoff at some point and this seemed logical to me. If a player accumulated stats prior to 1901 (Cy Young for instance) these stats will be disregarded.</li>
<li>To be eligible for a position a player must have played one full season as a starter there or 10% of his career games. The same goes for starting and relieving.</li>
<li>The team a player represents should be the one that makes the most sense for that player. For instance, Alex Rodriguez has played for three teams but he's played 300 more games as a Yankee than a Mariner. He won an MVP as a Yankee and has more career WAR as a Yankee. Therefore, he's going to be on the Yankee roster.</li>
<li>Batter handedness should not impact the players chosen.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here we go...<br>
</div></div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-time-all-stars-cleveland-indians.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-49691257985298448822013-08-13T20:12:00.000-05:002013-08-23T19:29:45.144-05:00All Time All Stars - Chicago White Sox Pitchers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>This is part of an on-going series in which I attempt to update the rosters from Sports Illustrated's All Time All Stars board game created in 1973. My intention is to update the game so I can incorporate modern day stars with the All Time All Stars.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
The Yankees All Time All Stars have the greatest offense you can imagine with their star power of Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, and Jeter. The Red Sox have an incredible rotation of Pedro, Clemens, and Cy Young. The White Sox have neither the intimidating offense nor any of the top ten pitchers of all time. What they do have, however, is an incredible <i>depth</i> of pitching talent to go along with excellent defense up the middle. One could not script a better pairing. Four Hall of Famers lead the staff while the other five all received recognition as being at or near the top of the list as the league's best pitchers. Below is the pitching staff Sports Illustrated selected for the original All Time All Stars roster in 1973.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cicoted01.shtml" target="_blank">Eddie Cicotte</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/donovdi01.shtml" target="_blank">Dick Donovan</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/faberre01.shtml" target="_blank">Red Faber</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lyonste01.shtml" target="_blank">Ted Lyons</a> SP/RP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/piercbi02.shtml" target="_blank">Billy Pierce</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walshed01.shtml" target="_blank">Ed Walsh</a> SP/RP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whitedo01.shtml" target="_blank">Doc White</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilheho01.shtml" target="_blank">Hoyt Wilhelm</a> RP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/woodwi01.shtml" target="_blank">Wilbur Wood</a> RP</li>
</ul>
<div>
There are no bones to pick here and even if we weren't adding anyone this would be one of the deepest staffs in all of baseball. Faber, Lyons, Walsh, and Wilhelm are each Hall of Famers. Cicotte very likely would have been had he not been kicked out of baseball for his role in the 1919 World Series. Donovan, Pierce, White, and Wood are all very solid pitchers too. Time to decide who sticks.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Original Locks:</b> Ted Lyons, Ed Walsh, Red Faber, Eddie Cicotte, Billy Pierce, Hoyt Wilhelm, Wilbur Wood</div>
<div>
Ted Lyons was an absolute monster and retired with 260 wins and an ERA of 3.67 despite pitching in the offensive rich "Babe Ruth" era. Ed Walsh is the best pitcher in team history and his 145 career ERA+ ranks ninth all time. Red Faber was not blamed for throwing the 1919 World Series enabling him to build an impressive career, winning 254 games. Eddie Cicotte won 29 games threw 30 complete games in his penultimate season. The knuckleballer was a borderline HOF candidate before he was banned for life. Billy Pierce was one of the best pitchers of the 1950s and made five straight all star teams in the decade. Hoyt Wilhelm only pitched in Chicago six of his twenty one years but accumulated a 1.92 ERA as a member of the Sox. That's easily good enough to make this squad. Wilbur Wood should be considered one of the greatest knuckleballers ever. He pitched an otherworldy 320+ innings <i>four years</i> <i>in a row </i>in the 1970s. Prior to this he led the league in games finished three years in a row. Never a Cy Young winner, he did finish in the top five three years in a row.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>New guys that are locks</b>: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/buehrma01.shtml" target="_blank">Mark Buehrle</a><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDVtaGN9yAJXKv6O8Eewy1G0FVyoCyWFBnxTUIwjwf9kQWjBA3TUyjP03v8bkwSdG5Oh7hiZ1CEnq85-DLkfW8UT93ZnYlgASgyylSUsKQzHPXJoXmsqZBbdbNiD9wAmgxzCD0RQhRXIX/s1600/buehrle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDVtaGN9yAJXKv6O8Eewy1G0FVyoCyWFBnxTUIwjwf9kQWjBA3TUyjP03v8bkwSdG5Oh7hiZ1CEnq85-DLkfW8UT93ZnYlgASgyylSUsKQzHPXJoXmsqZBbdbNiD9wAmgxzCD0RQhRXIX/s1600/buehrle.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>As you can see Buehrle's super pumped he made the team. </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
Buehrle, oh how I love thee. He never won 20 games in a season and only struck out more than 150 batters one time. Despite this he was still a four time all star, won four gold gloves, and never failed to reach 200 innings pitched in a season. He just got the job done. Buehrle ranks sixth all time in pitcher WAR for the Sox.<br />
<br />
<br />
While the Sox don't have the same name recognition as Boston, their staff is deeper and the bullpen is better. Buehrle is the eighth lock and we're carrying ten pitchers per team leaving two spots up for grabs. Here's who I believe the best pitchers are to complete the pitching staff.<br />
<br /></div>
<b>Guys on the bubble:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnto01.shtml" target="_blank">Tommy John</a> (career: 288-231, 3.34, 111 ERA+ /with Sox: 82-80, 2.95, 117)- Pitched with the Sox before having his famous surgery. Seems like he pitched forever and was able to win 288 games. Led the league in winning percentage twice, shutouts twice, and while in Chicago had an ERA+ of 117. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/donovdi01.shtml" target="_blank">Dick Donovan</a> (122-99, 3.67, 104 / 73-50, 3.41, 113) - Donovan averaged more than 10 complete games a season in Chicago. He led the league in winning percentage, complete games, shutouts, ERA, and WHIP at various points in his career. He was a three time all star.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whitedo01.shtml" target="_blank">Doc White</a> (189-156, 2.39, 113 / 159-123, 2.30, 114) - Doc White was able to put up some ridiculous ERAs even for the Dead Ball Era. He led the league in victories in 1907 with 27 and displayed excellent control throughout his career. He ranks in the top 10 in Sox history with 34.7 pitcher WAR.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/foulkke01.shtml" target="_blank">Keith Foulke</a> (41-37, 3.33, 140 / 18-19, 2.87, 166) - Keith Foulke saved 100 games for the Sox yet few outside of Chicago acknowledged his dominance. He had an ERA+ over 200 three times and was the best reliever in the American League not named Mariano Rivera from 1998-2004. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hernaro01.shtml" target="_blank">Roberto Hernandez</a> (67-71, 3.45, 131 / 29-24, 2.87, 153) - He's probably still pitching in Puerto Rico or somewhere. As a member of the White Sox was absolutely dominant as a late inning reliever. The Sox used him justly as he led the league in games finished three times and once again in Tampa. A two time all star, his career numbers take a bit of a hit since he stuck around forever even as his fastball was no longer his best pitch.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thigpbo01.shtml" target="_blank">Bobby Thigpen</a> (31-36, 3.43, 119 / 28-33, 3.26, 125) - Thigpen spent eight years in Chicago and twice led the league in games finished. He also set the single season saves record that stood for nearly 30 years. That was truly an exceptional season for him and he had a couple of other decent seasons but was a below average reliever the second half of his career.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcdowja01.shtml" target="_blank">Jack McDowell</a> (127-87, 3.85, 111 / 91-58, 3.50, 117) - Black Jack was an excellent pitcher for a brief time. He won the 1993 Cy Young Award and finished second in 1992. He also led the league in complete games three times and made three straight all star teams. His post-White Sox career was unimpressive as he struggled with injuries that eventually led to his retirement. He also <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndQhoDCcDlc" target="_blank">plays a mean guitar</a>. Rock on, Jack. Rock on.</li>
</ul>
<br />
There's a lot to choose from here and I'll have to think pretty hard about this before I cast my own vote. Please vote for the two pitchers you feel should make the team in the poll located on the upper right-hand side of the homepage.<br />
<br />
<i>Update: The two players selected in the poll are Jack McDowell and Tommy John. Two solid picks.</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-86349160886576936392013-08-11T08:26:00.000-05:002013-08-23T19:28:42.727-05:00All Time All Stars - Chicago White Sox<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>This is part of an on-going series in which I attempt to update the rosters from Sports Illustrated's All Time All Stars board game created in 1973. My intention is to update the game so I can incorporate modern day stars with the All Time All Stars.</i><br>
<br>
The Chicago White Sox are one of the original eight American League franchises yet their history is not necessarily one to make fans proud. Their World Series drought of 88 years is rivaled only by the Red Sox in American League lore (still better than the Cubs!). It's sad when a team's most well known moment is dark, nonetheless that's the way it is for Chicago's Southside club. Several franchise greats were on the 1919 squad and eight were banned. Guilty or not, they are eligible for this team, which is a good thing when you consider the state of the Sox best hitters throughout their history. <br>
<br>
Again, a reminder of the guidelines for choosing players:<br>
<ul>
<li>Each team must be composed of fifteen (15) position players and ten (10) pitchers.</li>
<li>At least one pitcher must be a relief pitcher</li>
<li>Each position must have at least two players on the roster who can capably fill it. Think of this as having a starter and a backup. </li>
<li>At least one player chosen to represent a position must have played that position as their primary defensive position. For instance, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth cannot be chosen as the only two representatives at first base since neither played there for the majority of their career.</li>
<li>Players must have been active no earlier than 1901. I chose 1901 since that was the first year of the American League. We need a cutoff at some point and this seemed logical to me. If a player accumulated stats prior to 1901 (Cy Young for instance) these stats will be disregarded.</li>
<li>To be eligible for a position a player must have played one full season as a starter there or 10% of his career games. The same goes for starting and relieving.</li>
<li>The team a player represents should be the one that makes the most sense for that player. For instance, Alex Rodriguez has played for three teams but he's played 300 more games as a Yankee than a Mariner. He won an MVP as a Yankee and has more career WAR as a Yankee. Therefore, he's going to be on the Yankee roster.</li>
<li>Batter handedness should not impact the players chosen.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here we go...<br>
</div></div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-time-all-stars-chicago-white-sox.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-30066302669372279342013-08-03T15:27:00.000-05:002013-08-11T08:38:07.261-05:00All Time All Stars - Red Sox Pitchers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Imagine an All Time All Stars World Series of Boston vs. New York. The Yankees would trot Ruth, Gehrig, and Mantle out there everyday. That's some pretty scary stuff and most teams would probably acknowledge that they have little chance in competing with the greatest offensive force ever seen. Well, the Red Sox are one team that would not be intimidated. Ted Williams didn't take crap from anybody and at first glance the pitching staff seems quite strong. I can just picture Roger Clemens and Pedro giving the boys in pinstripes the middle finger as they strut to the mound. Those guys were tough sons of guns who didn't shy away in the heat of the moment. Let's take a look at who was on this team when SI published the game in 1973.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgod-7ISDnOhJUpSRfQ_TarjzvYN-kJWBGvbL12HnYcswpxCHWkCukhwhQVCb8DI5WiHkpZ-usvvGcXK5-n26SrE5ucEG_vnGtz2DCfuTgXzwwFxo9HOCduJmBKVGw-i-QefjtF8Rso4h/s1600/rclemens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgod-7ISDnOhJUpSRfQ_TarjzvYN-kJWBGvbL12HnYcswpxCHWkCukhwhQVCb8DI5WiHkpZ-usvvGcXK5-n26SrE5ucEG_vnGtz2DCfuTgXzwwFxo9HOCduJmBKVGw-i-QefjtF8Rso4h/s320/rclemens.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Is this the greatest pitcher of all time?</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/culpra01.shtml" target="_blank">Ray Culp</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dinnebi01.shtml" target="_blank">Bill Dinneen</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dobsojo01.shtml" target="_blank">Joe Dobson</a> SP</li>
<li>Ellis Kinder RP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/leonadu01.shtml" target="_blank">Dutch Leonard</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/maysca01.shtml" target="_blank">Carl Mays</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/parneme01.shtml" target="_blank">Mel Parnell</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/woodjo02.shtml" target="_blank">Joe Wood</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/youngcy01.shtml" target="_blank">Cy Young</a> SP</li>
</ul>
<div>
This was just an okay staff. Cy Young might be the greatest pitcher of all time while Smoky Joe Wood and Dutch Leonard had a few excellent seasons but it pretty much ends there. Teams are going to have to do better if they want to hang with the Yankees. Luckily, with Roger Clemens and Pedro coming on board it's about to get scary good in the rotation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Original Locks:</b> Cy Young, Smoky Joe Wood, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kindeel01.shtml" target="_blank">Ellis Kinder</a>, Dutch Leonard</div>
<div>
Cy Young is a no brainer. Joe Wood had a great run from 1911-1915 that make him a cinch as well. Leonard was Wood's teammate and may have been even better. Kinder is the best reliever in team history in my opinion. In 1949 he led the league in complete game shutouts and two years later led the league in saves while accumulating 5.1 WAR. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>New guys that are locks</b>: Roger Clemens, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martipe02.shtml" target="_blank">Pedro Martinez</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tiantlu01.shtml" target="_blank">Luis Tiant</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wakefti01.shtml" target="_blank">Tim Wakefield</a>,</div>
<div>
With the retention of Cy Young, this rotation is now possibly the best in the game. Roger Clemens can also be included in the conversation as greatest pitcher ever and he has the hardware to prove it by putting 7 Cy Young Awards on his mantle. Pedro Martinez's 1999 and 2000 seasons might be the greatest back to back years ever. He averaged 20-5 with a 1.90 ERA in the steroid era. His ERA+ for those two combined seasons is 265! That's two hundred and sixty five percent <i>better</i> than the league average. Luis Tiant won 20 games three times and led the league in ERA once. And Tim Wakefield is the franchise leader in innings pitched and is third in wins. Gotta have the knuckler in there.<br />
<br />
If the Red Sox were to set a rotation I think it'd go Young, Clemens, Martinez, Tiant. Wow.<br />
<br />
Just like with the Yankees we've got eight locks out of ten spots. Below are who I believe are the best candidates for the final two spots.</div>
<br />
<b>Guys on the bubble:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/beckejo02.shtml" target="_blank">Josh Beckett</a> - The ace on the Sox second championship team, Beckett has had moments of brilliance cuopled with injuries. In 2007 he was fantastic and led the league in wins with 20.</li>
<li>Joe Dobson - Dobson pitched 1500+ innings in Beantown and won 106 games. Both rank in the 10 ten in team history.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lowede01.shtml" target="_blank">Derek Lowe</a> - Lowe bounced from starting and relieving, finding success in each role. He finished third in Cy Young voting in 2002 and his ERA+ was 127 as a member of the Red Sox.</li>
<li>Carl Mays - Mays played for four different franchises and none of them really scream at me as the obvious choice. He ranks highly in several categories including having the sixth best career ERA among Red Sox pitchers so I'll put him here. </li>
<li>Mel Parnell - Won 20+ games twice including 25 in 1949. Parnell only pitched ten years but managed to accumulate the 8th most WAR in team history.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/papeljo01.shtml" target="_blank">Jonathan Papelbon</a> - Love him or hate him the man was pretty dominant as a closer for the BoSox. Made four all star teams and saved 322 games in Boston.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stanlbo01.shtml" target="_blank">Bob Stanley</a> - Stanley was a multi-inning reliever who pitched really well for nine straight seasons until 1986. He ranks eighth in wins, second in saves, and first in games pitched in team history.</li>
<li>Babe Ruth - Ruth's not going to make this team because he's already a Yankee but he would be a candidate otherwise. </li>
</ul>
<br />
Vote for the two pitchers you feel should make the team in the poll located on the upper right-hand side of the homepage.<br />
<div>
<br />
<i>Updated poll results: Jonathan Papelbon was the top vote getter with Mel Parnell second. These two will be added to Boston's staff.</i></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-27084014718507353902013-08-01T19:00:00.000-05:002013-08-11T08:36:31.102-05:00All Time All Stars - Red Sox<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Boston Red Sox franchise is one of the greatest in the sport. There are several Hall of Famers from Ted Williams to Cy Young who wear the Boston "B" on their bust in Cooperstown. Yet, despite this the team went nearly 90 years between championships. How does this happen? I'm not even sure but fans will be excited to see some of the improvements the franchise has made since their original roster was created. As a refresher, below are the guidelines for choosing each team's roster.<br>
<br>
<ul>
<li>Each team must be composed of fifteen (15) position players and ten (10) pitchers.</li>
<li>At least one pitcher must be a relief pitcher</li>
<li>Each position must have at least two players on the roster who can capably fill it. Think of this as having a starter and a backup. </li>
<li>At least one player chosen to represent a position must have played that position as their primary defensive position. For instance, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth cannot be chosen as the only two representatives at first base since neither played there for the majority of their career.</li>
<li>Players must have been active no earlier than 1901. I chose 1901 since that was the first year of the American League. We need a cutoff at some point and this seemed logical to me. If a player accumulated stats prior to 1901 (Cy Young for instance) these stats will be disregarded.</li>
<li>To be eligible for a position a player must have played one full season as a starter there or 10% of his career games. The same goes for starting and relieving.</li>
<li>The team a player represents should be the one that makes the most sense for that player. For instance, Alex Rodriguez has played for three teams but he's played 300 more games as a Yankee than a Mariner. He won an MVP as a Yankee and has more career WAR as a Yankee. Therefore, he's going to be on the Yankee roster.</li>
<li>Batter handedness should not impact the players chosen.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here we go...<br>
</div></div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-time-all-stars-red-sox.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-50505816423922500762013-07-27T10:17:00.000-05:002013-08-11T08:35:21.246-05:00All Time All Stars - Yankees pitchers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the previous post I went over the All Time All Star roster for the Yankees. The original lineup had sixteen hitters and nine pitchers. <a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/07/all-time-all-stars-ny-yankees.html" target="_blank">Per the new rules</a>, I'm changing the dynamics a bit for the new rosters so we'll be adding a pitcher this time around. This is what the pitching staff looked like in the original game:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKCMRnqaa8f6TnZ3OI7WP0PJ9CruPf9FVOaJeWxodU85zB1pICH9PEqsyW6uo6rFn6ZMdGXZGIunAgA4qqzo2ZoaZtvvNMHwyZci9ikgWH7zoXHDBL_MAfsWP7N1y2Ke3aLkWv0Enx7jw/s1600/mariano-rivera.p1.si.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKCMRnqaa8f6TnZ3OI7WP0PJ9CruPf9FVOaJeWxodU85zB1pICH9PEqsyW6uo6rFn6ZMdGXZGIunAgA4qqzo2ZoaZtvvNMHwyZci9ikgWH7zoXHDBL_MAfsWP7N1y2Ke3aLkWv0Enx7jw/s1600/mariano-rivera.p1.si.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The greatest Yankee hurler of them all.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/chesbja01.shtml" target="_blank">Jack Chesbro</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fordwh01.shtml" target="_blank">Whitey Ford</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gomezle01.shtml" target="_blank">Lefty Gomez</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hoytwa01.shtml" target="_blank">Waite Hoyt</a> SP/RP</li>
<li>Ed Lopat SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pennohe01.shtml" target="_blank">Herb Pennock</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/reynoal01.shtml" target="_blank">Allie Reynolds</a> SP/RP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ruffire01.shtml" target="_blank">Red Ruffing</a> SP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/shawkbo01.shtml" target="_blank">Bob Shawkey</a> SP</li>
</ul>
<div>
This is a pretty good bunch but I know more than a couple of these guys will be bumped off since the Yankees have had two mini dynasties in the last forty years. Plus we need to add at least one full time reliever (I wonder who that could be?). Below I've broken down the pitchers into three distinct groups. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Original Locks:</b> Whitey Ford, Lefty Gomez, Red Ruffing, Waite Hoyt</div>
<div>
All four of these guys are Hall of Famers and all but Hoyt rank in the top four in career wins in a Yankee uniform. Hoyt pitched in 365 games in a Yankee uniform and was a member of six World Series teams.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>New guys that are locks</b>: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/riverma01.shtml" target="_blank">Mariano Rivera</a> (RP), <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gossari01.shtml" target="_blank">Goose Gossage</a> (RP), <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pettian01.shtml" target="_blank">Andy Pettitte</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/guidrro01.shtml" target="_blank">Ron Guidry</a></div>
<div>
Rivera is not only the greatest reliever of all time, he's also the greatest Yankee pitcher of all time. Gossage is another HOF reliever and easily makes this team. Andy Pettitte is third all time in Yankee wins with Guidry fifth. This leaves two spots open.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<b>Guys on the bubble:</b><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lylesp01.shtml" target="_blank">Sparky Lyle</a> (RP) - Lyle was one of the first great full time relief pitchers. Like Gossage, he was used as a multi-inning reliever and his 35 saves in 1972 were the second most ever recorded in a single season. He also won the 1977 AL Cy Young award.</li>
<li>Jack Chesbro - Happy Jack set the single season record for wins as a Yankee (41) in 1904 that still stands today. Went 128-93 as a Yankee with an ERA+ of 109 (9% better than league average). </li>
<li>Allie Reynolds - Superchief excelled as a swingman late in his career. In 1952 he led the league in ERA and shutouts while also earning six saves. He made five all star teams.</li>
<li>Herb Pennock - Pennock was the ace of the Ruth teams in the 1920's. In eleven years he went 162-90 with an ERA+ of 114. He was inducted into the HOF in 1948.</li>
<li>Bob Shawkey - Shawkey ranks 7th all time in WAR as a Yankee pitcher. He won 20 games five times and led the league in ERA once. His ERA + in pinstripes is 117.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stottme01.shtml" target="_blank">Mel Stottlemyre</a> - I'm surprised Mel didn't make the original team but he was a member of some mediocre Yankee squads. He won 20 games three times but also led the league in losses twice. His ERA+ as a Yankee is 112 and he's 8th in team history in pitcher WAR.</li>
</ul>
<br />
I'll put a poll up on the home page. Pick the two pitchers you feel should make the team.<br />
<br />
<i>Updated poll results: Herb Pennock and Jack Chesbro were the top two vote getters thus earning the final two spots on the Yankee pitching staff.</i><br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-37179191009972169342013-07-21T10:23:00.000-05:002013-08-11T08:39:02.826-05:00All Time All Stars - NY Yankees<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Before the days of Nintendo, kids (and adults) had to find ways to entertain themselves during the rainy days of summer and the cold days of winter. In the 1970's my dad and uncle gravitated to two specific games. Sports Illustrated created a board game for <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=sports+illustrated+football+board+game&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=mHbqUd6ID87-4AP23oHgAQ&biw=1422&bih=780&sei=snbqUeu1INax4APQ8YHQAw#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&oq=sports+illustrated+college++football+board+game&gs_l=img.3..0i24.10275.13150.0.14069.9.9.0.0.0.1.97.605.9.9.0....0.0..1c.1.20.img.sBUR9IqmUBA&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.49478099,d.dmg,pv.xjs.s.en_US.c75bKy5EQ0A.O&fp=ab8273b86f6049d0&biw=1422&bih=780&q=sports%20illustrated%20college%20football%20board%20game&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=VuvYQjVMPW-HiM%3A%3BZLZb4cdLgRd4CM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimages.worthpoint.com%252Ffiles%252Fpb%252F1318%252F4637%252F100_2506.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.worthpoint.com%252Fworthopedia%252Fsports-illustrated-college-football-board-game-197%3B400%3B300" target="_blank">college football</a> and for Major League Baseball. The MLB version had two formats: the single season and the All Time All Stars. The single season games were nice but playing as the All Time All Stars could be really fun. Imagine how cool it was to play as the Yankees. Try building a lineup where you get to include Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, <i>and</i> Mickey Mantle. Joe DiMaggio too. Yogi Berra! Well, a lot of time has passed since SI put out this game and I've begun doing a little exercise where I update the rosters for each team and maybe even add the expansion teams.<br>
I started with the Yankees and for roster spots that I'm having trouble with I'll put a poll up asking for input. The guidelines for roster construction are:<br>
<br>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Each team must be composed of fifteen (15) position players and ten (10) pitchers.</li>
<li>At least one pitcher must be a relief pitcher</li>
<li>Each position must have at least two players on the roster who can capably fill it. Think of this as having a starter and a backup. </li>
<li>At least one player chosen to represent a position must have played that position as their primary defensive position. For instance, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth cannot be chosen as the only two representatives at first base since neither played there for the majority of their career.</li>
<li>Players must have been active no earlier than 1901. I chose 1901 since that was the first year of the American League. We need a cutoff at some point and this seemed logical to me. If a player accumulated stats prior to 1901 (Cy Young for instance) these stats will be disregarded.</li>
<li>To be eligible for a position a player must have played one full season as a starter there or 10% of his career games. The same goes for starting and relieving.</li>
<li>The team a player represents should be the one that makes the most sense for that player. For instance, Alex Rodriguez has played for three teams but he's played 300 more games as a Yankee than a Mariner. He won an MVP as a Yankee and has more career WAR as a Yankee. Therefore, he's going to be on the Yankee roster.</li>
<li>Batter handedness should not impact the players chosen.</li>
</ul>
<div>
With those guidelines set, let's get started.<br>
</div></div><a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2013/07/all-time-all-stars-ny-yankees.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-28220300636910442942013-04-24T20:26:00.001-05:002013-04-25T04:29:55.325-05:002013 NFL Mock draft<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We may have taken a bit of a hiatus here at sportstemps but there are certain traditions we do not skip. One of them is the annual NFL mock draft. Former contributor Taylor and I have hashed out our ideas and put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard). I've combined our picks and stuck them into a table for our readers to enjoy. Please remember to remind us how great we are (or how wrong we'll be) once the draft commences Thursday evening. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: red;">Pick #<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: red;">Anderson’s Guess<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: red;">Reasoning<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: red;">Taylor’s Guess<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: red;">Reasoning</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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1. Kansas City Chiefs<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eric Fisher OT, Central Michigan<o:p></o:p></div>
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KC is shopping the incumbent Albert and someone needs to
take his place. Martin’s a big boy and
has the chance to be elite.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Luke Joeckel OT, Texas A&M<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fisher might have a higher upside and Joekel
had some slip ups on film but he went against better competition weekly.
Fisher will be a better run-blocker in the end but Joekel can pass block now,
and will fit Reid's scheme nicely.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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2. Jacksonville Jaguars<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dion Jordan OLB, Oregon<o:p></o:p></div>
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Why is this team passing on a QB? Because I think Jordan
is the best prospect in this draft. He can rush the passer and cover TE’s in
the slot. This versatility should enable Jax to utilize him regardless of
scheme.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dion Jordan DE, Oregon<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bradley's scheme requires quick playmakers on
defense. I think because it is a new coaching regime, they can afford to pass
on Geno Smith and grab a better option potentially next year. I have been
torn toward slotting Smith here though. Could also grab a DT or OT really.
Terrible team will compete for this pick next year...</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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3. Oakland Raiders<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shariff Floyd DT, Florida<o:p></o:p></div>
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A pass-rushing DT is huge in today’s NFL. In Oakland’s 4-3 front he’ll have ample
opportunity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shariff Floyd DT, Florida<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Smith could easily go here but the Raiders
have huge needs on the defensive line. Floyd will be able to stop the run and
provide some rush so he is a good value.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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4. Philadelphia Eagles<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Philly trades this
pick to San Diego for #11 and a 2<sup>nd</sup> rounder:</i> San Diego will
take Luke Joeckel OT, Texas A&M<o:p></o:p></div>
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Joeckel is who many thought would go number one overall. I
think the Eagles are ok with moving down since there are several areas that
need addressing. San Diego wants to run the ball and also needs to protect
Philip Rivers. Neither happened in 2012.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Geno Smith QB, West Virginia<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I chose Smith to go here for several reasons.
First, they sent their owner to his workout, which apparently doesn't happen
often. Secondly, Smith fits Kelly's scheme as well as anyone. Also, they can
afford with a new regime to let Smith sit while Vick wraps up his contract,
which is a plus. I think if Geno can sit for pretty much a full season, he
could be successful in the NFL. That being said, I think Kelly's philosophy
is over-hyped and while it might have short-term success, teams could react
and figure it out.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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5. Detroit Lions<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Detroit trades #5
overall to NY Jets for #9 and additional picks. NY selects:</i> Tavon Austin
WR, West Virginia<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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The Jets know several teams are hot to trot for Tavon
Austin so they move up to ensure themselves of a player with elite playmaking
ability. They still have a second 1<sup>st</sup>
rounder to address other areas.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eric Fisher OT, Central Michigan<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Detroit snags an in-state prize with this
pick. Sure they have defensive needs but they signed a few quality guys in
Quin and Jones. I think Milliner is a possibility here though Fisher is
certainly higher rated. Having Fisher at LT and Reiff at RT seems really
intriguing. The interior offensive line play must still improve. I think the
Lions can snag a solid WR or CB in round two.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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6. Cleveland Browns<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dee Millner CB, Alabama<o:p></o:p></div>
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Millner could be an excellent compliment to CB Joe
Haden. Cleveland would like to trade
down here but this guy’s not going to last much longer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dee Millner CB, Alabama<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Those Ansah-type question mark players scare
the heck out of me. I think between Kruger and Sheard they feel OLB will be
decent and snag Milliner to fill a need. Really a nice secondary if Ward and
Haden stay healthy.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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7. Arizona Cardinals<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lane Johnson OT, Oklahoma<o:p></o:p></div>
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In five years from now we might look back at this draft
class and realize Johnson’s the best tackle. He’s not the best right now but the
upside is huge. Besides, I think I could rush Arizona’s QB.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lane Johnson OT, Oklahoma<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ansah could very well go here. The Cards are
very excited to have Levi Brown back and healthy... but he wasn't overly
dominant before his injury. I always think the offensive line is terrible when
I watch them. They should grab Johnson to pair with a young QB in round two
or three.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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8. Buffalo Bills<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ryan Nassib QB, Syracuse<o:p></o:p></div>
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Buffalo will desperately try to get out of this pick but
there don’t appear to be any obvious trading partners. They don’t want to
risk losing their top QB so they’ll swallow hard and make the pick.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tavon Austin WR, West Virginia<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Is he overrated? Probably. But the Bills
pass-catching depth chart scares me a lot. I really think they snag Nassib or
Manuel by trading to the back end of round one. I still think the roster is
solid enough that a few additions and improved QB play could make them a
surprise team. Spiller and Austin make a nice pair of play-makers.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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9. NY Jets<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Detroit Lions
acquired this pick by trading #5 overall earlier. Detroit selects: </i>Barkevious
Mingo OLB, LSU<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mingo is explosive off the line and could do an excellent
job replacing Cliff Avril who departed as a Free Agent. With Suh and Fairly taking up blockers,
Mingo could have a big impact early. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Ezekial Ansah OLB/DE, BYU<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If they try to snag a QB, it is Ryan trying
to save his job. But the pass rush is terrible. Ansah could change that in a
hurry, similar to Aldon Smith. I can't see them grabbing Lotulelei after
drafting Wilkerson and Coples as first rounders on the defensive line in past
years.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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10. Tennessee Titans<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jonathan Cooper OG, North Carolina<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes, #10 is <i>very</i>
early to grab an offensive guard. But
the top three tackles are gone and this line needs help – fast. DT was also considered here.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Star Lotulelei DT, Utah<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">His film is so impressive. Hopefully the
health risks fade. Seems like he could fit many schemes. They could also grab
Richardson or an offensive guard. Their interior line is not good. Lots of
line holes for a team coached by a former offensive tackle. Maybe if he saves
his job he can draft his son next year.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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11. San Diego Chargers<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Eagles acquired this
pick in trade with Chargers. Philadelphia selects: </i>Star Lotulelei DT,
Utah<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Eagles really need a five-technique tackle to fit in the
middle of their defense. Lotulelei is easily the best around. He’s a steal at
#11.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Chance Warmack OG, Alabama<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They had several interior linemen that were
bulldogs in their prime when LT was dominating. Why not attempt to get that
going again. Obviously they need help on defense and their biggest need is at
OT. But I don't think they reach for Fluker.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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12. Miami Dolphins<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Miami trades pick to
Pittsburgh for #17 overall plus additional picks. Steelers select: </i>Cordarrelle
Patterson WR, Tennessee<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Patterson is just the kind of guy the Steelers want to
replace Wallace. Miami is the most
likely team to trade a pick so it makes sense for these two to work something
out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Xavier Rhodes CB, Florida St.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Really
don't like this regime's decision-making sometimes. Davis and Smith went from
up and coming CB duo to gone real quick. Rhodes is a physical specimen worth
grabbing.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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13. NY Jets<o:p></o:p></div>
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Geno Smith QB, West Virginia<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Geno is probably the #1 QB in this class but none of the
guys are sure-fire impact players.
The Jets know they need to make a change and with Mingo off the board
they’ll go QB.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Sheldon Richardson DT, Missouri <i>(note: this pick was made by the author prior to TB trading it to the
Jets)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another
defensive line pick? After they lost Miller and Bennett to free agency...
Yes. He and McCoy could make some noise inside while they wait for Clayborn
and Bowers to get to the QB. They could also grab a CB or trade this pick for
Revis. NOTE: TB's midwest scout lives in Columbia, MO. So far he has got them
Freeman, Talib and David from his territory.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
14. Carolina Panthers<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Sylvester Williams DT, North Carolina<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Williams is skyrocketing up draftboards. Very similar to
Floyd in that he can rush the passer and is decent vs. the run. <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Kenny Vaccaro S, Texas<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They
have huge needs at DT, but I think the depth of that position in the draft
allows the team to snag Vaccaro, which is nice, because the secondary is also
a mess. They could go Sylvester Williams here. I don't think another WR is
rated this high.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
15. New Orleans Saints<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Ziggy Ansah DE/OLB, BYU<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Ansah looks to be a steal at #15 so the Saints snatch him
up. He’s a better DE than OLB but New
Orleans will find ways to make him excel. Nice pick.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Barkevious Mingo DE/OLB, LSU<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">His
ability to get off the ball quickly is quite impressive. He can also dip his
shoulder while making those tall OTs bend down really nicely. That said, he
might be a one-trick pony. The Saints need pass rush badly to stop comebacks
while the offense scores plenty.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
16. St. Louis Rams<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Kenny Vaccaro S, Texas<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
The Rams don’t have a single safety worth a damn on the
roster. Time to change that. Vaccaro can play both FS and SS which makes him
an even better fit for Fisher.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Jonathan Cooper OT, North Carolina<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They
could easily go Ogletree here, but Dunbar and Laurenitis can both play. They
really want Vaccaro as their safeties are not good. The offense must improve
though... Cooper could be better than Warmack. Athletic as heck.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
17. Pittsburgh Steelers<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Steelers traded up
to #12 with Miami. Dolphins select:</i> Xavier Rhodes CB, Florida St.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
The Dolphins wanted this guy at #12 and knew they could
slip back a bit and still get him.
Rhodes gives some girth at corner, which is what they were hoping they
got with the pick of Vontae Davis a few years ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Jarvis Jones OLB, Georgia<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
think many people have predicted this. The film on Jones does not lie. I
think losing Harrison scares them maybe more than losing Wallace. They have a
knack for developing middle round WRs and maybe choose to try their luck at
that again.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
18. Dallas Cowboys<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Dallas trades #18
overall to Minnesota for #23 and additional picks. The Vikings select:</i>
Justin Hunter WR, Tennessee<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Minnesota is in a world of hurt after sending Percy Harvin
to Seattle. They need good pass
catchers stat and Hunter is the top WR on the board.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
DJ Fluker OT, Alabama<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
team needs safeties and offensive line bad. Fluker improves the run game
instantly. He could probably go higher than this.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
19. NY Giants<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Chance Warmack OG, Alabama<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
The Giants biggest hole is on the O-line. Warmack will start
from day one.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Tyler Eifert TE, Notre Dame<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Easily
could be Ogletree, though he has issues, or Werner. Eifert replaces Bennett
nicely. Could be a pretty productive guy.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
20. Chicago Bears<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Manti Te’o LB, Notre Dame<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Te’o has had a rough offseason. He’s still a good leader
and a strong player. Someone needs to fill in for Urlacher and Te’o has the
talent to do it.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Alec Olgetree LB, Georgia<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Watson
or another OL could go here. I don't think they can count on Williams at
LB... he is a head-case. Ogletree could be too though.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
21. Cincinnati Bengals<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Desmond Trufant CB, Washington<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Cincinnati had excellent Cb depth last season but that
depth is no longer available. Taking a CB in the first helps one of the AFC’s
top defenses.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Desmond Trufant CB, Washington<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fun
fact: The team's top six corners last season were all former first rounders.
Sadly most of them are old or gone already in 2013. The team really wants
Vaccaro as safety is the team's biggest weakness. Crocker is a good mentor
but doesn't have it anymore. Could go best player available here.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
22. St. Louis Rams<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Johnathan Franklin RB, UCLA<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Steven Jackson opted out of his contract leaving an
opening at RB. Franklin may not be a workhorse that’s not the way of the NFL anymore. This guy can take it to the
house on any play and that has a ton of value.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
DeAndre Hopkins WR, Clemson<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One
of my favorite players in the draft... before the hotel incident. At any
rate, I think the team wants a good route runner and chain mover here. They
could go Patterson but he is similar to Givens and Quick. They also could
look at Cyprien or Arthur Brown.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
23. Minnesota Vikings<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Dallas acquired this
pick by trading #18 overall. The Cowboys select:</i> Sheldon Richardson DT,
Missouri<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Richardson is the #1 player on the board and the Cowboys
need a DT quite badly. This worked out well, didn’t it?<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Sylvester Williams DT, North Carolina<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Can
settle on the two best players available and maybe get both of them.
Williams, the former KS JUCO kid, has a high motor. The Williams wall is
reconstructed! Kevin will be a great mentor</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
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<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
24. Indianapolis Colts<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
DJ Fluker OT, Alabama<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
I’m a little surprised I didn’t slide him in earlier but
sometimes to prospects slide for no apparent reason. Fluker is just another part of the car that
Andrew Luck drives. Sexy.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Datone Jones S, UCLA<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Really
a toss-up here. They gathered a bunch of random free agents a season ago and
had success. So they tried it again but this time spent too much. Jones
offers versatility which the team appreciates. Could also go Watson at OT or
secondary</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
25. Minnesota Vikings<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Arthur Brown ILB, Kansas St.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Brown is bit under the radar but could be the best LB in
the draft. Vikings would do well to come away with him here.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Justin Hunter WR, Tennessee<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Patterson
might be a head-case... another KS JUCO kid. Seems like he can run vertically
but not much else... Troy Williamson 2.0? Keenan Allen now has issues too.
With so many teams needing WR help around this area, Hunter's value increases</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
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<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
26. Green Bay Packers<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Eddy Lacy RB, Alabama<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
The team is supposedly begging for a RB and Lacy is a
stud. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go safety here.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
John Cyprien S, Florida International<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They
need a safety opposite Burnett. Cyprien I believe has a higher upside than
Elam or Reid. Needs to miss less tackles though. Could also go defensive
line.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
27. Houston Texans<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Tyler Eifert TE, Notre Dame<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
What do you do when you can’t find a suitable #2 WR? You
take the best pass catcher available. Eifert won’t last this long but he
would be a nice fit in Houston.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Cordarrelle Patterson WR, Tennessee<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Desperate
for WR help, they take on a project and hope he can stretch the field and
take pressure off Andre Johnson. Might look at Watson too at OT, but they
don't seem as concerned about it.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
28. Denver Broncos<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Bjoern Werner DE, Florida St.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
What a great scheme fit. Denver has an vacant slot at pass
rusher with Elvis Dumervil screwing up his fax. Let’s hope Werner signs his contract in
person.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Jamar Taylor CB, Boise St.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They
could snag another defensive lineman like Werner here but secondary is a need
too. Taylor has the overall skills to be solid and learn from Bailey.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
29. New England Patriots<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Patriots trade out
of first round. Arizona Cardinals acquire the 29<sup>th</sup> pick. Cardinals
select:</i> Mike Glennon QB, North Carolina St.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
The Patriots always trade down; that’s just what they
do. The Cardinals love this guy’s big
arm. I think there’s a lot of talent here but he’s a bit of a risk with his
terrible decision-making.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Tank Carradine DE, Florida St.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
really don't like this slot. Perhaps someone trades to here for a QB if the
fast WRs are gone. Carradine provides a possible improved pass rush, which is
needed. CB is also a need.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
30. Atlanta Falcons<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Zack Ertz TE, Stanford<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
He is not Tony Gonzalez but Tony G won’t be around much
longer. Ertz can do it all and will be a welcome fit to this air-it-out
offense.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Bjoern Werner DE, Florida St.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
can't decide what I think of Werner. Highly productive but his workouts
weren't impressive and many stats were accumulated against lesser
competition. The Falcons needs corners and rush ends bad. They might trade up
for Trufant.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
31. San Francisco 49ers<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89">Eric Reid S, LSU
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
The 49ers know how to build a winning team and right now
their secondary needs a bit of help. Reid is a great fit for a team with no real safety.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
Eric Reid S, LSU<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Reid
isn't a bad player and safety is a need because Culliver is an idiot and they
lost the other kid to Tampa and big bucks. Could see them snagging Hunt and
believing they could coach him up to replace Justin Smith. They also have
enough picks to trade up for a guy they like.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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32. Baltimore Ravens<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jarvis Jones OLB, Georgia<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ozzie Newsome knows better than to pass on elite talent. Jones' stock has dropped due to injury history but he played healthy at Georgia and as always, getting to the QB is an elite skill.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Arthur Brown ILB, Kansas St.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Has
some injury concerns but they need linebackers bad. They can't trust McClain
just yet. Might also snag Allen at WR.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081019446199572828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522709332542333366.post-15057160616599974632013-01-06T19:16:00.000-06:002013-01-06T19:16:37.045-06:002013 MLB HOF Ballot (Pitchers)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last week <a href="http://sportstemps.blogspot.com/2012/12/2013-mlb-hall-of-fame-ballot.html" target="_blank">I took a look at the hitters</a> so now I'll examine the case for the pitchers on the ballot. While I'll agree my system isn't perfect for starting pitchers, I do believe it's close. I'll work on giving it some tweaks during the year in hopes I can perfect it.<br />
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<b><u>Starting Pitchers</u> - Avg HOFSc = 57.76</b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/clemero02.shtml" target="_blank">Roger Clemens (105.65):</a> </b>You can make an argument that Roger Clemens is the greatest pitcher of all time. He won seven Cy Young Awards (most), led the league in ERA seven times, strikeouts five times, shutouts six times, and even won an MVP award. His HOFSc of 105.65 just edges out Cy Young (105.35) for the highest ever. He ranks second all time in career WAR and third for peak. I think we can all agree Roger Clemens was a great pitcher and would be a lock if not for his performance enhancers. I think he'll get in eventually but I'm not sure how long he'll have to wait.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/morrija02.shtml" target="_blank">Jack Morris (44.25):</a></b> Here we go again. Jack Morris was a good pitcher but every time I evaluate him he falls short of Hall of Fame status. He won twenty games twice and threw an incredible game in the 1991 World Series. He also led the league in wild pitches six times.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/seleaa01.shtml" target="_blank">Aaron Sele (30.70):</a></b> Sele's an interesting story. When he came to the majors he was seen as the heir apparent to Roger Clemens by Red Sox Nation. When he pitched he was brilliant but injuries kept him off the field quite a bit. I guess management became frustrated by this and traded him to Texas where he promptly won 19 games. The next two years were both excellent but then his career as an effective major league starting pitcher was pretty much over although he held on to a job for seven more seasons.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wellsda01.shtml" target="_blank">David Wells (47.05):</a></b> Wells was a bit of a journeyman pitcher in the mid 90s until he stumbled upon the Yankees. Once there his career really took off. He set a new career high in wins with 16 in 1997 and threw a perfect game. In 1998 he led the American League in winning percentage by going 18-4. Over the next six seasons he won 76 games and was a legitimate #1 starter. Unfortunately it took him too long to become a productive pitcher though he did manage to hang around until he was 44. A fun character but not quite a hall of famer.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/williwo02.shtml" target="_blank">Woody Williams (17.80):</a></b> Woody Williams made his major league debut in 1993 but it took him until he was in his mid 30s to become an above average pitcher. By then he was nearly done. He pitched one World Series game and made one all-star team.<br />
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<b><u>Relief Pitchers</u> - Avg HOFSc = 24.18</b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hernaro01.shtml" target="_blank">Roberto Hernandez (13.75):</a></b> Roberto Hernandez usurped Bobby Thigpen as the White Sox closer in 1992 and held on to the job until the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Flag_Trade" target="_blank">White Flag Trade</a> in 1997. Despite closing games thru 2002, his days as a shut down reliever ended in 1999 or 2000.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mesajo01.shtml" target="_blank">Jose Mesa (13.00):</a> </b>Mesa made his major league debut in 1987 as a starting pitcher and in six games had an ERA over 6.00. The Orioles then banished him to the minors until 1990 when he came up and made seven starts. He spent three more seasons as a starter including one in Cleveland before the Indians decided enough was enough and converted him to a closer. What a good decision. In 1995 and 1997 he helped solidify the bullpen of two World Series teams. After posting a 6.52 ERA with the Phillies in 2003, his career seemed to be over. Somehow he got another chance in 2004 and was very good again. He was a good reliever for a long time.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smithle02.shtml" target="_blank">Lee Smith (23.6):</a> </b>While I was growing up, Lee Smith was considered a great closer because everyone assumed he would set the career saves record. He did but I was never convinced he was a great closer (especially when he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18sFYmLWIwY" target="_blank">gave up that home run to Fred McGriff</a> in the all-star game). Turns out he'd fit right in with the relievers in the Hall of Fame. Personally, I think only two relievers in the hall deserve to be there but that's beside the point. If Smith gets in it won't be a big deal. I'm just not sure he will.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stantmi02.shtml" target="_blank">Mike Stanton (11.80):</a></b> Mike Stanton is second all time in games pitched. The problem with his candidacy is that in 1178 games pitched he threw 1114 innings. Essentially a <a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/glossary/index.php?search=LOOGY" target="_blank">LOOGY</a> for the majority of his career, Stanton was able to pitch for 19 seasons. I'm not saying LOOGY's are dumb, in fact he's probably the best ever. I just don't see how one can be a legitimate hall of fame candidate. I'm sure he's a nice guy though.<br />
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<b><u>My Hypothetical Ballot</u></b><br />
Each year a voter can vote for up to ten (10) players on their ballot. Most years I feel only three or four are deserving but there's starting to be some serious back log due to the writers newfound morality. If I had a vote I'd vote for ten players this time around. Here's my ballot:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Barry Bonds</li>
<li>Roger Clemens</li>
<li>Jeff Bagwell</li>
<li>Mike Piazza</li>
<li>Craig Biggio</li>
<li>Mark McGwire</li>
<li>Larry Walker</li>
<li>Tim Raines</li>
<li>Alan Trammell</li>
<li>Edgar Martinez</li>
</ul>
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