Several sportswriters are publishing mock drafts for 2008 now. NOW!!!! Even one day before the 2007 draft, most of them did not have even 5 picks right in the first round and none of the draft I read had Brady Quinn falling out of the top 10 (I actually predicted in a sportsline.com message boardpost that he would fall all the way down to the Packers and got a lot of flak in return). Everyone said that Miami at No 9 was his safety net and it was unlikely he would even get past the Vikings at No 7. We know how well those predictions turned out - including my prediction of the Packers picking him at 16.
Regardless, whats the point of a mock draft for 2008 one year in advance when they could not even get it right one day earlier? One the other hand maybe its not so bad because the predictions are all useless anyways...
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Can LeBron's get past the Jets?
The Cavaliers won Game 1 of their series against the Nets, but barely made it despite the Nets having a very bad day. The Nets shot less than 40% - Jason Kidd made just 2 out of 11 shots from the field and 2 out of 7 3-pointers, including missing his first five field goal attempts. Vince Carter made just one field goal in the third quarter and none in the fourth. Despite this the Cavs had only a four point margin of victory.
Most sportswriters have predicted that the Nets will bounce back in Game 2 with a vengence. However, I think the game 1 victory will make the Cavs more confident and they will take a 2-0 lead. Game starts in an hour.... :-)
Most sportswriters have predicted that the Nets will bounce back in Game 2 with a vengence. However, I think the game 1 victory will make the Cavs more confident and they will take a 2-0 lead. Game starts in an hour.... :-)
Monday, May 7, 2007
The Yankees give up on their diet
Just like a short-lived crash diet, the Yankees have given up on trying to reduce their bloated $195 million payroll. Faced with an absolute lack of pitching the Yankees decided to bring back Roger Clemens paying him almost $4.5 million a month. That works out to more than $500,000 approx per day of work.
Not only that, the Yankees have bent the rules and are giving him special previliges (similar to what he had with the Astros) such as not having to show up on days he is not pitching - this is the team that made Johnny Damon get a haircut :) Remember the flak that Sammy Sosa took when he allegedly left the dugout before a game was over when he was with the Cubs? Surprising how so many writers feel Roger has "earned" the right to demand this.
The Yankees feel desperate measures are needed especially when they are losing games with that awesome batting lineup. But is throwing money at the problem the solution (to be fair that is the solution the Yankees have used very often in the past :))? Clemens is 45 years old and he has to start slowing down sometime...with the bad luck the Yankees have been having with their pitching this season, it is possibly going to be now!!
Not only that, the Yankees have bent the rules and are giving him special previliges (similar to what he had with the Astros) such as not having to show up on days he is not pitching - this is the team that made Johnny Damon get a haircut :) Remember the flak that Sammy Sosa took when he allegedly left the dugout before a game was over when he was with the Cubs? Surprising how so many writers feel Roger has "earned" the right to demand this.
The Yankees feel desperate measures are needed especially when they are losing games with that awesome batting lineup. But is throwing money at the problem the solution (to be fair that is the solution the Yankees have used very often in the past :))? Clemens is 45 years old and he has to start slowing down sometime...with the bad luck the Yankees have been having with their pitching this season, it is possibly going to be now!!
The new favorites to win the Superbowl
The latest odds released by prominent gambling websites show that the Patriots are the new favorites to win Superbowl XLII. While this makes a lot of sense, what does not make sense is that the odds favor the Pats by a huge margin. For instance one website lists the odds for the Pats at 2 to 1 odds whereas the next team the Chargers have 6 to 1 odds followed by the Colts at 8 to 1. This means for every Dollar you bet on the Patriots you win two dollars if they actually end up winning the superbowl whereas if you bet on the Colts and they it all you get 8 dollars in return.
There are several reasons why ranking the Pats this high does not make any sense and neither does the ranking of several others especially the Colts and the Chargers.
1. While Belichick is one of the best coaches in the business and will definitely use the talent well, having talented players is no guarantee of success. Infact this was proved by none other than Belichick who stopped Peyton Manning and his fearsome offense in the playoffs two years in a row. When Peyton, Marvin Harrision, Reggie Wayne and a healthy Stokley could not score more than 3 points in a playoff game, what is the guarantee that having Moss, Stallworth and Wes Welker will guarantee an explosive offense against premier AFC defenses such as the Ravens or Chargers?
2. While the Patriots had a lot of important acquisitions in free agency, they still need these players to play well together. The Pats proved sceptics wrong when players considered risky such as Corey Dillon turned our to be excellent additions to the Patriots' superbowl run, can the Patriots have a 100% success rate? Is this not what the Eagles probably felt when they signed Terrell Owens, confident in the structure of their organization and the leadership in their locker room?
3. The Colts are the defending champs and they may not be as weak as they seem. The Colts are four times as less favored as the Pats? Makes no sense at all. The Colts drafted Anthony Gonzales and figure to be better than when Brandon Stokley was healthy and Peyton broke Marino's touchdown record. They have good replacements identified for the players they lost on defense and also had some good additions to their draft. Factor in the fact that the Colts cover -2 scheme can thrive well with fast and athletic players not necessarily skilled in any one position, the Colts are still in excellent position to defend their title.
4. Sure, the Patriots came close to going to another Superbowl and may have done so if some of their defensive players did not have the flu - but we should not forget that the Chargers virtually lost the divisional playoff game more than the Pats won it.
5. Lastly, the Chargers have a new coach, a new offensive coordinator & a new defensive coordinator. They still do not have any premier receivers and their new head coach does not have a great winning record as a head coach (even though he was a great offensive coord). Given all the change in the coaching staff, my prediction is that the Chargers will not win the AFC this year, regardless of the talent they have.
There are several reasons why ranking the Pats this high does not make any sense and neither does the ranking of several others especially the Colts and the Chargers.
1. While Belichick is one of the best coaches in the business and will definitely use the talent well, having talented players is no guarantee of success. Infact this was proved by none other than Belichick who stopped Peyton Manning and his fearsome offense in the playoffs two years in a row. When Peyton, Marvin Harrision, Reggie Wayne and a healthy Stokley could not score more than 3 points in a playoff game, what is the guarantee that having Moss, Stallworth and Wes Welker will guarantee an explosive offense against premier AFC defenses such as the Ravens or Chargers?
2. While the Patriots had a lot of important acquisitions in free agency, they still need these players to play well together. The Pats proved sceptics wrong when players considered risky such as Corey Dillon turned our to be excellent additions to the Patriots' superbowl run, can the Patriots have a 100% success rate? Is this not what the Eagles probably felt when they signed Terrell Owens, confident in the structure of their organization and the leadership in their locker room?
3. The Colts are the defending champs and they may not be as weak as they seem. The Colts are four times as less favored as the Pats? Makes no sense at all. The Colts drafted Anthony Gonzales and figure to be better than when Brandon Stokley was healthy and Peyton broke Marino's touchdown record. They have good replacements identified for the players they lost on defense and also had some good additions to their draft. Factor in the fact that the Colts cover -2 scheme can thrive well with fast and athletic players not necessarily skilled in any one position, the Colts are still in excellent position to defend their title.
4. Sure, the Patriots came close to going to another Superbowl and may have done so if some of their defensive players did not have the flu - but we should not forget that the Chargers virtually lost the divisional playoff game more than the Pats won it.
5. Lastly, the Chargers have a new coach, a new offensive coordinator & a new defensive coordinator. They still do not have any premier receivers and their new head coach does not have a great winning record as a head coach (even though he was a great offensive coord). Given all the change in the coaching staff, my prediction is that the Chargers will not win the AFC this year, regardless of the talent they have.
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