Bears Pick A Winner In Emery

Can Phil Emery take the Chicago Bears to the promised land?
[Source: Comcast Sports Net]

Phil Emery is the new general manager of the Chicago Bears, or as most Bear fans will fancy calling him, not Jerry Angelo.

There are many reasons why "Not Jerry Angelo" is an exceptional hire, the first of which is that he is not Jerry Angelo.  Aside from that, Emery has a distinguished track record that includes a stint with the Bears from 1998-2004.  In this time, the Bears drafted Charles Tillman, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.  He worked in the Atlanta Falcons' scouting department since then.  He was the director of college scouting from 2004-2008, a period in which the Falcons brought in Matt Ryan and Roddy White.

In other words, his track record speaks for its self.

Emery is also respected and well liked around the league.  His reputation for being a professional will bode well for him when he tries to execute trades and sign free agents.  His first major challenge will be trying to fill enough holes in the roster via free agency, in order to be able to be a good draft away from having a title contender.  The Bears need a few more pieces to be just that, and like every other offseason in recent history, those pieces need to be offensive lineman and receivers.

ESPN's Kevin Seifert said that the Bears found "their Ted Thompson" in Emery.

Bears fans sure as hell hope so.  But for now, they're just happy that they hired "Not Jerry Angelo."

The Story of "No Mom Tom"

Thomas Robinson has lead the Jayhawks
to a 7-0 start in Big 12 play this season.

Fans of sports have a tendency to take it too far.

There's certain things that might be considered crossing the line.  In November, Utah State's student section were chanting at BYU Center, Brandon Davies regarding his suspension for having sex off the court.  Sure, I found it amusing, but I am sure it offended many people.  It must have been offensive to BYU, who administered the suspension.  It must have been offensive for the LDS Church, which owns and operates BYU.  I found it amusing, but I will admit that it was in bad taste and crossed the line for certain people or institutions.

Fast forward to January.  The BCS National Championship was over and the Crimson Tide were on top of college football once again.  Then someone, who calling a knucklehead is an understatement, does this (NSFW) to a passed out LSU fan.  Not to pick on Alabama's fans, because I know there are many loyal, dedicated fans of the Tide that know how to be diehards without acting like a complete jackass.

Events like this prompted current Columbia resident, Jordan Husted to say, "If I was in charge of the world, I would abolish professional sports."  Granted, that is not going to happen anytime soon.  However, it encourages you to look at fans.  Particularly, the ones that shame your favorite teams.

I will admit, the people who do these things are immature at best.  However, they are audacious enough to commit such acts in public.  Many of these acts are alcohol induced, but that makes my prior statement no less true.  Recently, more drama has been instigated by fans on message boards.  There are two worth noting that have raised eyebrows here at Mizzou in Columbia.  These involved Arizona State University and Kansas University.

Brock Osweiler is 6'8"

The first one involved an Arizona State fan making a comment comparing the weeks' football contest against Missouri to the victims of a tornado that leveled the city of Joplin, Missouri in May.  All that came out of that was a few perturbed Mizzou fans that by the end of that weekend, had moved on to talking about Joe Tessitore's alleged "man-crush" on now former Sun Devils' Quarterback, Brock Osweiler.  No Harm, No Foul.

However, this week, one fan took it too far.  A user on a message board said that himself, along with other Mizzou students would wear shirts bearing the letters "NMT".  "NMT" is an acronym for "No Mom Tom", referring to Kansas Forward Thomas Robinson.  As you may or may not know, he lost his mother, grandmother and grandfather within a months' span in 2011, making this grotesque moniker self-explanatory.  These shirts, as far as I know, are nonexistent and any person that would wear a shirt bearing those letters better stand for "No More Taxes."  Otherwise, they need to take a serious look in the mirror.  

After Mizzou and Kansas students and fans alike were left stewing.  Kansas students were upset for obvious reasons.  Mizzou students were upset because they believed that this ignoramus was in their camp.  Au contraire mon ami, the offenders' IP address was traced to Lawrence, Kansas.  

The plot thickens.

That being said, my condolences go out to Robinson.  Even though these losses were over a year ago, I  still feel for him as a man who loves his mother.  He's a tremendous athlete and I firmly believe that God will bless him.  I can only assume that he is a good man, and I wish the best for him.  That being said, he is a Kansas Jayhawk and therefore is the enemy on February 4th.  But for the love of God, leave the man's mother alone.

Hate week is next week.  So this is a call for every True Son and Daughter along with Rock Chalk Nation to hate the right way.

There's a reason they don't officially call it the Border War these days.

UPDATE:  A representative of notorious MU cheering section, The Antlers, had this to say via the sections' official Twitter account.


"ATTENTION INTERNET: STOP BEING SO STUPID! We aren't making any signs, shirts, billboards or keychains with a "NMT" slogan. That's below us."  

Crown Their Asses

Prince Fielder, shown above at age 8, 
returns to Detroit all grown up.

If it was not a forgone conclusion already, the Detroit Tigers have won the American League Central.

Detroit's signing of free-agent Prince Fielder is the second trade since their 2006 World Series appearance that they have made an offseason move that made them the consensus favorite in their division.  

In December of 2007, the Tigers sent six prospects to the Florida Marlins for an electric pitcher who was coming off of a bad season in Dontrelle Willis and a slugger in Miguel Cabrera who some thought would eat himself out of the league.  Willis, of course, floundered.  He was hurt in the first month of the 2008 season and has not been the same since.  He is no longer a Tiger.  As for the extra-large slugger, he flourished.  Cabrera has slugged 139 Home Runs in his four seasons as a Tiger, also hitting over .300 in 3 of those seasons.  As for what they gave up, Cameron Maybin is in San Diego, Andrew Miller is in Boston, Mike Rabelo is back in the Tigers' organization as a hitting coach for their Gulf Coast League affiliate, Frankie de la Cruz is in Milwaukee and Burke Badenhop is a Tampa Bay Ray.  Dallas Trahern, the only player left in the Marlins' system from that trade, has not made his major league debut, and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2009.  

In short, Detroit won that trade.  However, that 2008 season saw them finishing 74-88.  Good enough for a last place finish and 14.5 games behind the AL Central Champion Chicago White Sox.

This offseason, the Tigers took another gamble on a slugger who can light up the baseball as well as he can the scale.  However, this Detroit team is head a shoulders above the competition.  Granted, there was no excuse for finishing behind Kansas City over the last 10 years, but the 2008 team had a lot of disappointing and undeveloped players.  

This team is different.  They bring back the reigning MVP and Cy Young winner.  The scary part is that both of those adjectives describe the same guy, Justin Brooks Verlander.  They bring back a team that was two wins away from the World Series last season.  Granted, they lost Victor Martinez, but the positions you can put him at are filled by Prince Fielder, Brandon Inge and Alex Avila.  They bring back a bullpen full of a recognizable names.  They bring back their mid-season pennant-push loot in Delmon Young and Doug Fister.  They have as good a starting 4 in their rotation as you can find in baseball.  They have one of the best managers in the league in Jim Leyland.  They have holdovers from their 2006 pennant-winner.  

The most important thing, however, is that they will not own the spotlight.  

These Tigers won't have the pressure that teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Heat have had in recent memory.  They'll get press, but they wont operate under pressure like Albert Pujols and the Angels.  Ozzie Guillen will be grabbing headlines in Miami.  The Yankees will grab headlines because they're the Yankees.  

The addition of Prince Fielder puts the Tigers over the top.  They are one of the most complete teams in baseball, if not the most.  Operating without the whole spotlight in Motown is a relief, because like all teams, there will be adversity that needs to be overcome.  As a result, I am crowning the Tigers as the team to beat in Major League Baseball.  This team has the potential to be the best team since the 1998 Yankees.

Prince Fielder has the potential do what his father never did.  Win the big one for Motown.  

Jorge Posada To Hang Up His Cleats Tomorrow

Jorge Posada leaves the game
as a part of Yankee lore.

One of the great Catchers in the game is retiring tomorrow.

Jorge Posada will announce his retirement at Yankee Stadium 2 days after the Giants punched their ticket to the Super Bowl.  Posada, 40, has played his whole 17 year career in pinstripes.  Over those 17 seasons, Posada hit .273 with 275 homers and 1,065 RBI.  He won 4 World Series titles and was a major piece of the Yankees' run of success in the 2000's.

Posada was mentored in his early seasons by then catcher and current Yanks manager Joe Girardi.  Prior to the 2000 season, Girardi left to play for the Cubs and Posada was given the starting role.  Posada won four of his five Silver Slugger Awards and made four of his five All-Star Games appearances in the four years that followed.  In 2003, he hit 30 Home Runs and drove in 101 runs, career highs in both categories.  His 30 Homers tied Yogi Berra for most in club history.

One of the highlights of Posada's career came on May 17th, 1998 when he caught David Wells's perfect game against the Minnesota Twins.

In 2007, Posada hit .338 with 20 Homers and 90 Runs Batted In.  He also registered 42 doubles and 171 hits, career highs in both categories.  He won his fifth Silver Slugger and appeared in his fifth All-Star Game.  Joe Torre allowed Posada to manage the last game of the 2007 campaign.  The Yankees won Posada's managerial debut 10-4 against the Baltimore Orioles.

Before the 2009 season, the Yankees went all in by acquiring players such as C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixiera, A.J. Burnett and Nick Swisher.  The move payed off and as a result, Posada won his fifth and final ring.

After that 2007 campaign however, Posada began to decline rapidly.  Injuries hampered the rest of his career.  His 2008 season ended in July, when he underwent shoulder surgery.  In the seasons following, he went back and forth between Catcher, First Base, DH and the bench.

He came back in 2009 and hit the first Home Run in the new Yankee Stadium.  It was a good start to the last season of a decade in which he could easily be considered the best offensive Catcher.  In 2010, he hit grand slams in back to back games and collected his 1,000th RBI.  2010 was a sad year for his Yankee family.  It saw the loss of longtime announcer Bob Shepard and George Steinbrenner.   The following offseason, he underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

2011 was the most trying and controversial year for Jorge.  Posada had gotten off to a slow start and was moved to 9th in the order for the May 14th game against the Boston Red Sox.  He had asked to be removed from the lineup, which had sparked a small media circus in the Bronx.  The rest of the season had positive moments, but were still a struggle for Posada.  He was benched in June and finished the season with a .235 average 14 Homers and 44 RBI.  However, he finished 2011 with a bang as the starting Designated Hitter in the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers.  He posted a .429 Average and a .579 On-Base Percentage.

With the retirement of Posada, one more member of this generation's Yankees have hung 'em up.  Andy Pettite and Jorge Posada are gone.  Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are the last pieces of those great teams from the late 90's and early 2000's.  Eventually, they will have to go and the next generation of Yankees will have their day.  Players such as C.C. Sabathia, Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova and Francisco Cervelli will have their time and opportunity to the list of great who have put on pinstripes very soon.  Posada's retirement is one step closer to the end of an era.

So one last time.  Hip Hip...JORGE!!!!

Giants/Pats Rematch All of the Rage On Eastern Seaboard

Hey Pats fans, remember this?

It's a good day to be a New York sports fan.

Carmelo and Amar'e are wearing Knicks uniforms.  The Yankees are defending AL East champions and just picked up a stud in Michael Pineda.  The Rangers are currently 2nd in the Eastern Conference.  If you're a Syracuse fan in NYC, they are one of the best in college basketball.  However, the Giants take the take by returning to the Super Bowl.  The G-Men punched their ticket to Indianapolis with a 20-17 overtime victory in San Francisco tonight.

As for the game, it truly was a game in which most of the players played well.  Eli Manning and Alex Smith both threw no picks in a game that was affected by rain.  Victor Cruz and Vernon Davis both caught for over 100 yards.  Mario Manningham made a nice catch for a 17 yard touchdown grab in the 4th quarter, his only one of the game.  Both defenses combined for nine sacks.

The difference in the game was San Francisco returner Kyle Williams.  Williams fumbled twice resulting in two Giant scores.  He is the goat for the evening.  Sure, the 49ers couldn't score at the end of regulation or their one overtime possesion.  The fact of the matter is that Kyle Williams is the reason that San Francisco is not going to Indianapolis.  Like Baltimore, San Francisco played good enough to win.  They just didn't.  The legend of Alex Smith will have to wait til' next year.

Now we have a Super Bowl rematch on our hands.  It was the game ESPN and Roger Goodell (graduate of Bronxville High School, in suburban New York) wanted.

We have two weeks to analyze the hell out of this game.  Go.

The Story of The Anti-Drive

How often is the goat named Billy?

Ladies and gentlemen, you just watched Billy Cundiff (right) lose his job.

Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal to cap off what I will refer to as "The Anti-Drive."  Short of a turnover, he last four plays of the Ravens' last possession were as bad as it gets when you're trying to tie or win a football game in the waning seconds.

Down by three with under a minute to play, the Ravens drove from their 21 with Anquan Boldin making a 29 yard catch to put them in field goal range.

Cue the "Anti-Drive"

The next play saw Flacco finding Boldin again.  Boldin was stripped by Pats' Corner/Wideout Julian Edelman, but luckily the ball rolls out of bounds and the Ravens gain 9 yards.  The next play, Flacco finds Lee Evans in the endzone only to have the ball knocked out of his hand by Pats' backup Cornerback Sterling Moore.  Then Flacco dropped back on third down and despite having some daylight to run for a first down, rolls right and avoids the rush by throwing a dangerous pass to Tight End Derek Pitta that was deflected.  Then Cundiff comes out to tie the game, misses from 32.  Game.  Set.  Match.  Pats win 23-20.

The ending of the Anti-Drive was very curious, though.  The question I have is why did the Baltimore Ravens not call timeout before the Field Goal.  They had to rush the snap because they were inside of four seconds on the play clock.  It threw off the snap and Cundiff.  You can blame John Harbaugh, you can blame Billy Cundiff, you can blame Lee Evans or you can blame any combination of the three.

The fact of the matter was that the Ravens play great today.  Flacco out-dueled Brady, making plays with his arm and legs.  In fact, that was the best game of Joe Flacco's career.  Flacco's receivers played very well.  Boldin and Torrey Smith were making plays.  Jimmy Smith and LaDarius Webb each made great plays in picking off Brady.  Vonta Leach kept making big holes for Ray Rice to run through and may very well just be the best fullback in football.  The Ravens won the turnover battle.  They did everything they needed to do to win today.  Except win.

It took an Anti-Drive for keep the Baltimore Ravens out of Indianapolis.

Joe Paterno Dead At 85

Joe Paterno was a bad ass motherfucker
Penn State died a little bit today.

It has been a rough few months for the university.  It started with the Jerry Sandusky scandal that rocked their university, that prompted riots as well as prompting my grandfather to say "I don't want to live in a world like this" not to long before his own passing.  Then their legendary coach Joe Paterno was fired because the scandal happened under his watch.  After two months of large scale media coverage, the legendary coach who has defined Pennsylvania State University succumbed to lung cancer the morning after rumors of his death had surfaced.

The unfortunate thing is that these are the things that modern fans or people who look at sports in passing will see.  It's sad because these are a lot of the last memories of Joe Paterno's life.  A media circus and a sex scandal.  Matt Millen put it best when he said, "I just can't help but think he died of a broken heart...and that bothers me.

What people should remember is how he came to define the Penn State Nittany Lions over the last 46 years he coached them.  They should remember his 409 wins, first in Division I football and second to John Gagliardi of St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota.  People should remember how he demanded a lot from his players; on the field and in the classroom.  It was his "Grand Experiment".  People should remember goofy little things like how he rolled up his pants on game days to save on cleaning bills.  People should remember his accent and the fact that he brought up his children to think for themselves.

Under his watch, Penn State had five undefeated teams and won two national championships in 1982 and 1986.  They joined the Big Ten in 1990 and won conference titles in 1994, 2005 and 2008.

There are so many great things to remember Paterno by, but the matter of the fact is many people will remember none of the great things I mentioned in this article.  They will remember him for a scandal that is not his fault.  Paterno was aware of this and it what haunted him on his deathbed.  A man who lived a wonderful life, ended it on such a sour note.

Educated sports fans and genuine people will know that Paterno was more than this scandal.  They will know that he deserved to die on better terms.  Others will just remember that he was the Penn State coach in the middle of that damn scandal.

And that's a damn shame.

Epic Saturday Will Lead to Rankings Shakeup

Less people doubt Ricardo Ratliffe
and the Missouri Tigers by the day.

Saturday was just another chapter in what has shaped up to be a very exciting regular season in college basketball.

For starters the 3rd and 5th ranked teams were squaring off in Waco, Texas.  Ricardo Ratliffe's 27 point 8 rebound performance lifted the #5 Missouri Tigers to an 89-88 victory at host Baylor.  The Tigers are in action in Stillwater on the 25th against Oklahoma State.  Baylor squares off with Oklahoma in Norman on the 24th.

That wasn't the extent of the excitement in the Big 12.  In Austin, the Texas Longhorns had trailed #7 Kansas by as many as 14 before coming back to take the lead 59-58 with just over 5 minutes to play.  Kansas scrapped a win out 69-66 after J'Covan Brown missed a three pointer to tie the game with 2 seconds to play.  The Jayhawks are now 6-0 in Big 12 play.  They travel to Columbia to take on Mizzou on February 4th and to Waco to play Baylor on February 8th.

Duke came into today with a 44 game home winning streak.  That winning streak is now over.  Florida State has owned the last two saturdays in college basketball.  A week ago, Deividas Dulkys beat North Carolina by himself in Tallahassee.  This week, Michael Snear buried #4 Duke at the buzzer with a 3 as time expired at Cameron Indoor.  The Seminoles have defeated Duke, Maryland and North Carolina in the last eight days.  At 4-1 in ACC play, the Seminoles have a very real chance at an ACC crown.  Not bad for a team that lost to Princeton and Harvard.

#2 Kentucky pulled out a 77-71 win against 'Bama in Lexington.  They will most likely be the #1 team in the country tomorrow.  #11 UConn got knocked off by sub-.500 Tennessee in Knoxville.  #19 Michigan fell to Arkansas in Fayetteville.

As for the current #1 team in the nation, the Syracuse Orange was knocked off by Notre Dame in South Bend by a score of 67-58.  This is the Orange's first loss of the season.  In other words, here comes the start of a lot of rankings shakeup.

My prediction for next weeks rankings is as followed
#1 Kentucky
#2 Missouri
#3 Kansas
#4 Syracuse
#5 Ohio State
#6 Baylor
#7 Duke
#8 North Carolina
#9 Murray State
#10 Michigan State
#11 Georgetown
#12 Indiana
#13 Florida
#14 UConn
#15 Misssissippi State
#16 San Diego State
#17 Virginia
#18 Creighton
#19 UNLV
#20 Marquette
#21 Illinois
#22 Saint Mary's
#23 Kansas State
#24 Vanderbilt
#25 Wisconsin

Jamie Moyer, 49, Gets Spring Training Invite

Can 2-time 20 game winner

Jamie Moyer come back from

come back from Tommy John surgery at Age 49?

Jamie Moyer said he was going to attempt to come back from Tommie John surgery in 2012, and he made a big step today signing a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies.  If Moyer, 49, cracks the Opening Day roster, he will (again) be the oldest player in the Majors.  

If Moyer pitches this season, it will make him the 3rd oldest player to take the field in league history.  Hoyt Wilhelm also pitched at age 49 in 1972.  Only Satchel Paige and Jack Quinn have played into their 50s.  Moyer can join that club by pitching in 2013.  He turns 50 on November 17th.

Over his career, Moyer has played for the Cubs, Rangers, Cardinals, Orioles, Red Sox, Mariners and Phillies.  If he plays for the Rockies this season, it will be the eighth uniform he puts on.  

There are two things that make this significant.  First, Moyer is by far the oldest pitcher attempting to come back from Tommie John surgery.  Also, if Moyer can make it through three more seasons, it is a very real possibility that he wins 300 games.  That second one seems very unlikely.  Moyer still has to prove that he can face big league hitting after surgery.  He may not crack the Rockies' roster.  

But all kinds of history could be made a result of a successful Jamie Moyer comeback

Mizzou, Rival Kansas Put "Big" In "Big Monday"

Michael Dixon lead the Tigers to victory today.
Will another hero emergo in Waco on Saturday.

Today was Big Monday.  In the Big 12 that meant the two important games.  The fifth ranked Missouri Tigers taking on fellow future SEC member Texas A&M in Columbia and No. 7 Kansas taking on the No. 3 Baylor Bears and their undefeated record in Lawrence. 

The Tigers started slow and sloppy.  They were committing too many turnovers and were on the highway to foul trouble and stuck in a close game with an opponent who, if was allowed to stick around, would make Mizzou pay.  Fortunately for Frank Haith's squad, they erupted with a 17-0 run starting with 7:22 in the first half.  They lead the Aggies 42-23 at the break.  A&M never recovered in the second half, and the Tigers cruised to a 70-51 victory in Columbia.

The surprise of the game was Michael Dixon coming off the bench to lead all scorers with 18 points, while grabbing 5 rebounds.  However, defense was key for the Tigers' building a large lead, keeping the Aggies off the board for over six and a half minutes.  

The lingering question is whether one of the best all-around Tiger teams in recent memory be enough to hang around with the likes of Baylor and Kansas.  

Thomas Robinson and the Jayhawks
used tonight's game against Baylor to make a
statement to the rest of the Big 12.

When prompted for one word to describe tonights' performance of the Kansas Jayhawks, ESPN announcer Dick Vitale used, "resilient."  

In a game that was close most of the first half, Kansas began to pull away, taking a 39-29 lead into the locker room.  The Jayhawks continued to outplay Baylor in the second half.  KU took the momentum into the second half in what culminated into a 92-74 beat down of the Bears in Lawrence. 

Tyshaun Taylor and Thomas Robinson paced the scoring putting up 28 and 27 respectively for the Jayhawks.  As a team, Kansas abused Baylor on the glass and shot much better.  These two things ultimately lead to their 18 point victory.  

Baylor's next contest is Saturday when they host the 5th ranked Tigers.  Based on what I watched tonight, this is a fairly even matched contest.

As for Kansas, they made a large statement tonight.  They are the team to beat in the Big 12.  Baylor did not win at the Phog and Mizzou has their work cut out for them when they play this Jayhawk team.

Eli Outshines Rodgers In 37-20 Rout

Thanks to Eli Manning and Hakeen Nicks,
Aaron Rodgers will not be discount double checking
 his way to another Lombardi Trophy in 2012.

Eli Manning made one mistake all game. The excellence of Eli Manning and his receiving corps enabled the Giants to pull away from the Packers tonight at Lambeau. The Giants made big plays happen where the Packers had no offensive play for 30 or more yards. The Packers turned the ball over 4 times where the Giants turned the ball over once. The Packers were still in it at the end despite all of these mistakes. They stayed the course and went back and forth with the Giants for three quarters. Rodgers was able to make plays with his feet and for the second time that they have played the Giants this year, Rodgers lead the Packers in rushing yards. The Packers were excellent at slowing New York's pass rush in the first half by using creative blocking schemes utilizing their tight ends and running backs to give Rodgers time. When the pocket collapsed, Rodgers would take off because the linebackers were worried about the Packers' deep receiving corps.

Ultimately, Rodgers could not be protected all game and at the end of the day, was sacked four times. The problem was that the Packers did not play spectacular tonight and could not get by on doing the little things right and small breaks like the fumble that wasn't in the first quarter. The Packers could not pull ahead of a Giants team that was doing the right things and making big plays, so the Giants pulled ahead of them. Game over.

The true star of the game tonight was Hakeem Nicks who grabbed 7 balls for 165 yards and touchdowns of 66 and 37, the latter being a Hail Mary to end the half. I compare this outing by Nicks to his breakout performance at North Carolina in the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl where he caught 8 passes for 217 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Packers really let down fans such as Ben Wilson with
their unspectacular performance.
Before I wrap up, a shout out to Ben Wilson. Ben is a fellow student at Mizzou and a lifelong Packer fan. He attended two Packer games this season. The Chiefs game and the game tonight.

They're Called The Ravens Defense For A Reason

Ed Reed, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs are as dynamic of a
defensive threesome as there has ever been.

The Baltimore Ravens defense is still alive and well. The Ravens held the Texans to one offensive touchdown and forced 3 turnovers to pull out a victory, despite a pedestrian offensive effort of their own. Despite the Ravens collection no sacks and only two tackles for loss, the Ravens were solid in preventing the Texans from moving the ball. This was in large part due to the fact that Ravens' punter Sam Koch averaged 49.3 yards on nine punts, giving the Texans a longer field to work with all day long. This enabled the Ravens to hold the Texans to 13 points, despite 100+ yard efforts rushing by Arian Foster and receiving by Andre Johnson. What Baltimore's defense did do, was take advantage of Texans' rookie Quarterback T.J. Yates's mistakes. This lead to a Tebowesque passing day for Yates completing 17 of 35 passes for 183 yards and 3 interceptions.

As for Houston, their defense did not have a terrible game themselves. It just came down to the fact that their offense made more mistakes than Baltimore's game. It's rather simple actually. Baltimore won because their punter gave them better field position, their offense was more experiences and made less mistakes and their defense forced more turnovers. But don't discount the fact that Joe Flacco has a legitimate number one receiver in Anquan Boldin who caught 4 balls for 73 yards and a Touchdown, which made the difference in the Ravens' 20-13 victory.

However next week, the Ravens travel to New England who they have traditionally had trouble with in the postseason. They face a far more experienced offense and a defense who, like the Ravens, had a successful outing against a young quarterback. These are the two best teams in the AFC squaring off, and by all means a fair fight.

Brady, Gronk Put Tebow Media Circus To Rest In 45-10 Beatdown.

Tom Brady torched the Broncos with
5 touchdown passes in the first half.

At halftime the score was 5 to 3. Tom Brady completed 5 touchdown passes. Tim Tebow had 3 completions. The game was over by then, so that was a closer contest at that stage of the game. The New England Patriots rode Brady's arm to a 45-10 over the Denver Broncos. Tim Tebow could not get comfortable in the pocket today. The Broncos' QB was sacked 5 times in a 9-26 effort.

It's hard to argue that there is a better Tight End
in the NFL than Rob Gronkowski.

There were several reasons why the Patriots won this game, namely Tom Brady's motivation to win following the failures of playoffs past. Brady played one of his better statistical games of his career. Having the best tight end in football in Rob Gronkowski helped Brady out too. GRONK was a major contributor to the win catching 10 balls for 145 yards and 3 TD's.

As for Tebow, he was negated all night long by New England's defense. The Patriot defense got to Tebow 5 times, forcing a fumble and holding him to less passing yards the the Pats' leading receiver caught for.

"Tim Tebow is an enigma,
the likes of which the NFL has never seen." - Mickey White

I would not call this game a sign that Tebow and Tebow's college offense does not work in the NFL. I will concede that there are going to be games that are ugly. It happened against Detroit, it happened against Buffalo, it happened against New England. The only analogy I can make here is Freddy Garcia's last season with the White Sox. He would pitch solid most nights, lights out some nights and get shelled once every five or six starts. Those starts were so poor that Garcia finished 12-6 with a 4.64 ERA. That's how I look at Tebow. 12 Touchdowns, 6 Interceptions and a 46.5 completion percentage.

What we will remember about Tebow from this season is the hype. The hype that was warranted. Tim Tebow is an enigma, the likes of which the NFL has never seen. Tebow could not adjust to an NFL offense, but knows how to win games in the NFL. A team around him in a way that we have not seen in a long time. He needed a good offensive line and good running backs. He needed a good defense. But when you got him to the 4th quarter, he started to resemble a quarterback. He resembled a winner. Regardless on how you feel about him as a quarterback, you must admit that he took the Broncos farther than Kyle Orton would.

Tebow's secret was never a secret though. He was the best conditioned player on the field and when you run the ball for three quarters, the defense is worn out in the fourth. The key to beating Tebow was to put him away in 45 minutes.

The real shame about this Broncos defense was that the defense did not get the recognition that they deserved from the media. People that know enough about the game, knew how special that defensive unit was and they have a lot to be proud of from this season. That whole team does. Tebow, Fox, the running back back corps, the line and especially the defense. However, just like the man who played Jesus on SNL said he would not be able to show up for the first New England game, the Denver D did not show up for the second.

49ers On Map After Topping New Orleans In Shootout

Can Alex Smith lead San Francisco to a title in 2012?

A 14 yard strike from Alex Smith to Vernon Davis in the waning seconds of tonight's game put the NIners up 36-32 and put away New Orleans. In the process, the 49ers have established themselves as a legitimate team in the NFC. Alex Smith is possibly a week away from a game that could serve as the ultimate redemption provided the Packers defeat New York tomorrow.

The Niners' defense helped them get out to a 17-0 lead in the 2nd Quarter. Led by Safety Dashon Goldson's interception and 11 tackles, the 49ers' defense forced Drew Brees to make enough mistakes to keep the 49ers in the game. Alex Smith played the role of closer trading scores with Brees before leading the Niners down the field to close the game.

There are three things to take from this game. First, Alex Smith is the 49ers' franchise quarterback and a legitimate one at that. Second, Jim Harbaugh is the right coach for the Niners and for Alex Smith. Third, the Saints are a good team that must work out the kinks on defense. The Saints have a shaky secondary that must be addressed.

The era of rebuilding is over in San Francisco and with this big win, everybody knows it. Alex Smith has emerged as the 4th good 49er quarterback and has the potential to be one of the 3 great ones. Words can not put into perspective how huge this win was for San Francisco. A beleaguered quarterback leading a team who has been trying to break through for a few seasons now. A city who was spoiled with Joe Montana and Steve Young. A former No. 1 draft pick finally proving he can live up to those expectations, despite being picked over who is now arguably the best quarterback in football. One game away from Indianapolis. The Super Bowl. The opportunity to knock off Rodgers is there and may just serve as the ultimate redemption for Alex Smith.

The possibility of squaring off against Rodgers.

The possibility of capturing the team's first Super Bowl since the Steve Young era.

It's all there for the taking.

Seminoles Embarrass No. 3 Heels in Tallahassee

Deividas Dulkys will want to relish this day.
He lead his Seminoles to a big win over No. 3 North Carolina.

With 2:13 left in the game, Deividas Dulkys left the game to a standing ovation in Tallahassee.

Cue the OVERRATED chants. Cue the NA NA HEY HEY chants. Cue the court storm.

The Silute, Romania native led all scorers with 32 points, 4 steals and a picture with Dick Vitale after the game. By all means a career game for the Florida State senior. He led his team to a 90-57 blowout over the third ranked Tar Heels in Tallahassee.

If this game is any indication of how March will play out, hold on and buckle up. This is going to be a bumpy ride.

It is also worth noting that down by 33 with 12 seconds left, Roy Williams took the players on his bench to the locker room leading to a moment of confusion on the court and a chorus of boos from Seminole fans.

All that can be said is that the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC are all deep this year. UNLV, San Diego State, Harvard, Long Beach St, Creighton, Gonzaga, Murray State, Wagner, Dayton, New Mexico, Saint Louis, Stanford, Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee State have all appeared on people's radars. Not to mention that Butler has been in the last two national title games.

Let's just say that we are about two months away from one of the most exciting tournaments in recent history.

And if you think this is going to be the biggest surprise of the day, Iowa State currently leads Kansas in Lawrence.

Yankees Bolster rotation, Up Ante In The American League.

The sky's the limit for
Michael Pineda and the Yankees.

Today the Yankees agreed to send young catcher Miguel Montero to the Seattle Mariners for budding star pitcher Michael Pineda. Pineda worked his way into the #2 slot in the Mariners' rotation going 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA and 173 strikeouts. He also brings a fastball that ranges from the low to high 90's that scouts raved about when he first broke into the league. As for Miguel Montero, he brings what Pineda brought to Seattle last season. Potential. Particularly into the lineup, where the Mariners need help the most. Seattle's lineup consists of players that are either young, bad or Ichiro.

In addition to trading for an arm, the Yankees reportedly signed Hiroki Kuroda to a one deal deal worth $10M. With ace C.C. Sabathia, Pineda, Kuroda and Ivan Nova seemingly locked into the rotation, that leaves A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia competing over the 5th and final spot in the rotation. Combine that with one of the better lineups in the American League and the Yankees could raise more eyebrows than previously thought.

Your move Red Sox.

2013 Winter Classic Announced. Receives The Mickey White Of Approval.

The NHL got it right by picking Ann Arbor
for the Winter Classic in 2013.

Last night was spent driving from suburban Chicago to Columbia, Missouri. As a result, I missed the news break of the 2013 Winter Classic. For those hockey fans who are living under a rock, the Wings are playing the Leafs in the Big House. Toronto. Detroit. Ann Arbor. This is easily the third best idea the NHL has produced for the Winter Classic. In honor of this successful choice and due to the fact that I did not post about this yesterday, I will be giving you my personal list of non-traditional venues I would love to see a hockey game played in.

The Carrier Dome

10. Carrier Dome: Syracuse, New York

Why have a hockey game in Syracuse? Simple. It's relatively medium sized city smack dab in the middle of Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York and Buffalo. It's a respectable college town with a large town and some history behind it. I promise you it's not the most farfetched venue on this list.

Lucas Oil Stadium

9. Lucas Oil Stadium: Indianapolis, Indiana

Another venue that will never get a hockey game, a game at Lucas Oil could gauge the city's interest in potentially having an NHL team. Currently, Hamilton and Kansas City are far more likely to get a team. However, Indy would be far more profitable than having teams in Phoenix and Sunrise. Along with a Final Four and a Super Bowl coming up, a hockey game (or team) would make Indy all of the rage. It's not just a Peyton Manning city anymore. Who am I kidding? Of course it is.

The Mercedez-Benz Superdome

8. The Mercedez-Benz Superdome: New Orleans, Louisiana

Obvious Disadvantage: Closest markets are St. Louis, Nashville and Dallas. So yes, this will never happen. It's fun to pretend because though because I get chills just thinking about the Superdome. All of the sports history behind it. The Super Bowls. The National Championships. Final Fours. Katrina. The City of New Orleans. Bourbon Street. It would just be cool to add neutral site NHL game to that resume.

Yankee Stadium

7.Yankee Stadium: Bronx, New York

Need I explain? It's New York. The house that Steinbrenner built have he knocked down the one Ruth built. Putting hockey games in Wrigley and Fenway warrants considering a game in the Bronx. Out of this list, I see this venue as the most likely to happen.

Neyland Stadium

6. Neyland Stadium: Knoxville, Tennessee

The second college town on this list is conveniently placed between two successful souther hockey markets. The advantage of a hockey game at Neyland is not particularly one that will be of large profit to the entire league, but would definitely be a major boost to hockey in the south and would give more national exposure to hockey in Tennessee and Carolina. I honestly think there would be a large crowd at this game and all of the atmosphere of a fall saturday at Neyland Stadium would be ever present.

CenturyLink Field

5. CenturyLink Field: Seattle, Washington

Let me start by saying that Seattle is a very underrated sports city. Anybody who knows a great deal about football knows about the atmosphere in Seattle when you go into a Seahawks game. It's electric and full of local culture. Combine that with the fact that Seattle is near Vancouver, a team known for having a rabid fan base. Just sit and think about that.

AT&T Park

4. AT&T Park: San Francisco, California

In the Sharks' television market, AT&T Park is probably the 2nd coolest location on this entire list. Out by the San Francisco Bay on McCovey Cove. Arguably in one of the best stadiums in the National League, San Francisco would provide a great atmosphere for an outdoor hockey game. It also gives millions of people a chance to go see their "local" hockey team

Sports Authority Field at Mile High

3. Sports Authority Field at Mile High: Denver, Colorado

Denver is the perfect city for an outdoor hockey game. The Mile High City. Despite the fact that the Avalanche have not been relevant in what seems like forever, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Mile High a great place for a hockey game. Denver is a great location for the same reasons Seattle is. It's a cold weather city in the western part of the country with a solid hockey fan base in the area. It could also be a great venue to rekindle the Red Wings/Avalanche rivalry that was once more relevant.

Cowboys Stadium

2. Cowboys Stadium: Arlington, Texas

Everything's bigger in Texas. Big state, big food, big personality, big stadium, big ass television. Introduce big hockey games. It could be the most important hockey game in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex since the 2003 Western Conference Finals. Jerry Jones has a reputation for doing things big, and how much bigger does it get than watching a hockey game in Cowboys Stadium under the world's largest television.



1. Faurot Field: Columbia, Missouri

I'll admit this is a total homer pick. A St. Louis Blues game on Faurot Field. The Rock M in the background. Laws hall appearing on national television during the national anthem. Every true son would be more than eager to tune in to a Winter Classic at THE ZOU! Granted, St. Louis seems like a more logical venue for an outdoor hockey game for Faurot. That's what makes this a complete homer pick.

Faurot Field

Angels on the Bench

Imagine Trumbo's bat protecting Evan Longoria in 2012.

Wednesday afternoon, Angels first baseman Kendrys Morales signed a one year deal for just shy of $3M. This raises the question of Mark Trumbo. With Albert Pujols carved into the Opening Day lineup in stone, who is the DH? Is there a platoon in order? Is Morales going to sit on the bench for awhile considering he hasn't played since breaking his left ankle jumping on home plate celebrating a walk- off grand slam in May of 2010? Is Trumbo going to spell both on a twice weekly basis? Is Trumbo on his way out of town?
In my opinion, all three of these bats are too talented to be taking up space on the bench. Before going down, Morales was arguably the best hitter in all of Los Angeles, Mark Trumbo hit 29 homers last season, and The Machine's track record speaks for itself.

Perhaps some of the bullpen help that the Angels are looking for could come in the form of the trade of Trumbo or Morales. Either that or they could have a premier pinch-hitter in one of the two. That being said, it would be a damn shame if one of those bats are stuck on the bench for the next 3-6 months.

For the love of baseball, Arte Moreno needs to get on the phone. Perhaps with Tampa Bay.

LeBron's Encounters A Familiar Demon In Lob City

If LeBron keeps failing to execute in clutch situations,
get used to seeing this on television.

Ever hear the joke about LeBron James and Sarah Palin?

No?  Well google it then.

Needless to say that all of the biggest recurring joke of the night was LeBron and his Heat. A stale boring joke. LeBron, Wade and Bosh go 3-8 from the floor in the 4th quarter and LeBron fouls Chauncey Billups on a three point attempt in the waning seconds of regulation. He goes on to miss three consecutive baskets in the extra period. Clippers win 95-89. In a scene that is painfully familiar to LeBron fans nationwide, James kills his team in the 4th quarter and overtime.

The school of thought here is that if he cannot snap out of his fourth quarter blues in the regular season, how can he be expected to lead his team to close victories over the likes of Boston, Chicago and Oklahoma City in the playoffs?

He cannot.

He will not.

I will repeat those words until provided evidence to the contrary. Until then, let the inappropriate jokes about Sarah Palin and jokes about his fiancee having more rings than he does continue. Until then, marquee victories by the new look Clippers and milestones like James' 200th double double will be overshadowed by his inability to seal the deal.

Brandon Paul Goes Off For 43 To Knock Off 5th Ranked Ohio State

Can Brandon Paul become a force to be
reckoned with in the B1G?

The former Warren standout Brandon Paul took over tonight putting up 43 on No. 5 Ohio State.

How exactly do you put that into perspective?

For starters, it was the 3rd highest scoring total in the rich history of Illinois mens' basketball.

Guys who shoot 28% from beyond the arc don't go 8-10 from three and 11-15 from the field.

But tonight was different.

It was a liberating performance in more ways than one.

It was liberating for Paul because he broke out from his slump. His shooting numbers have been down this season and he needed a monster performance to get the monkey off his back. It was liberating for Bruce Weber because he now has a team and player on the map. People in the Prairie State have been calling for his job for quite some time and the program hasn't been the same since their 37-2 national runner-up season in 2004-05.

This is a team that put up 5 more points than Paul did tonight when they played St. Bonaventure.

To any readers that are already sick of me using the word "coming out party", I apologize, but this was just that for Brandon Paul and the Illini. Despite being unranked, they are 15-3 and play in the Big Ten. That alone warrants some respect. Also take into consideration that those loses came to UNLV, Missouri and Purdue. I would say that that is enough to warrant some national attention.

If Brandon Paul can keep his foot on the gas, this season just got very interesting. However, it could have just been a fluke an outstanding night and Paul will fall back to earth hard and the Illini won't play well enough to make too much noise in the Big Ten.

Where Did the Sixers Come From?

Andre Iguodala isn't the focal point of the Sixers' attack anymore.
Will he be around to see some of Philly's better days?

Through nine games, the 76ers have one of the top records in the Eastern Conference.

Take a second to mull that over.

After a 41-41 record made them a surprise playoff team last season, the 76ers are 7-2 and lead a division with New York, Boston and New Jersey after almost a month.

Tomorrow they play said New York team and these new kids on the block are going to bring the intensity of a Giants/Eagles game to Madison Square Garden.

We all know what the Knicks are about - Amar'e and Carmelo. But what does Philly bring?

Experience, a bench and slightly better team statistics.

Now this bench I speak of boasts leading scorer Lou Williams, veteran Thaddeus Young, former Ohio State standout Evan Turner and Swiss rookie Nikola Vucevic.

Former Kings lottery pick Spencer Hawes is averaging a double double and an aging Elton Brand is making a solid contribution to the ragtag group of misfits.

The backcourt boasts Jodie Meeks, who hasn't had the most impressive start of the season, as well as Jrue Holliday who averages the most minutes for the Sixers.

Lanphier graduate Andre Iguodala remains the face of the franchise, which has been the case since Allen Iverson was traded away. Despite the fact that Doug Collins has changed his role on the team from a scorer to more of a facilitator, Iguodala has proven that he can still lift his team after posting a double double Saturday against Toronto and putting up 20 points and 9 boards monday in a 10 point victory over Indiana.

Now what happens with this team the rest of the way is to be seen. It's a real possibility that Iguodala is traded. But it is also a real possibility that the Sixers make a big move or two this offseason or before the trade deadline. Maybe Philly wants to stick around with Miami, Chicago, New York and Boston. But tomorrow, it's all about New York/Philly.

It could quite possibly be Philly's coming out party.

Coffee Is For Closers

"Coffee is For Closers" is a place where I present ideas and am open for discussion. These ideas may range, but will mostly have to do with sports. A bigger scope will be placed on "my teams". My college teams are Missouri, Notre Dame, Florida, Northwestern, West Virginia. My pro teams are the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, White Sox, Jets and Canadiens. Aside from that I might talk about things such as movies, music, prep sports. If it gets to the point where I actually have a substantial amount of viewers, I will ask you to give me topics to blog about.

Here are some other things you need to know about me. My name's Mickey, I'm a freshman at the University of Missouri, I'm from Chicago, and I'm still trying to figure out the entire concepts of blogging. Therefore, I will be tinkering with different fonts and background as well as teaching myself how to properly use pictures and wrap text around them.