Monday: Can we get a little noise up in here?
SORRY FOR THE LATE START TODAY, GANG. Really interesting paper this morning — football, baseball, NASCAR, a little college hoops, not to mention that Austrian dude free-falling 24 miles from outer space into the New Mexico desert. A few thoughts from the weekend:
I’M REALLY GLAD THE ALCS IS SHIFTING TO COMERICA PARK. Quite honestly, the atmosphere at the new Yankee Stadium just doesn’t feel like the postseason. I understand that a struggling offense can suck the life out of the place (especially when somebody like Anibal Sanchez throws seven scoreless innings, as he did last night), but empty seats, boos for the home team and surliness aren’t what October is about.
So the Yankees head to Detroit down 2-0 with no Derek Jeter (broken ankle), Robinson Cano mired in a record-setting slump (26 straight at-bats without a hit) and Justin Verlander slated to pitch for the Tigers tomorrow night. I’d imagine O.J. feels pretty good about that. Still, I expect the Yankees to play better on the road, where they’re not getting booed every time they ground out.
CONTRAST THAT ATMOSPHERE WITH AT&T PARK IN SAN FRANCISCO, which was going nuts even when the Giants trailed the Cardinals 6-0 early last night. I’ve said it before: The Giants have the best fans in pro sports right now. They’re the same enthusiastic bunch on May 14 that they are on October 14. The Giants got back in it with a four-run rally but fell 6-4 to a St. Louis team that’s got some serious mojo going on. Game 2 is 8 tonight on WFXR, with Chris Carpenter scheduled to oppose Ryan Vogelsong.
HOKIES
-As mentioned last night, Virginia Tech has opened as an 11-point underdog against Clemson. Andy has a nice primer on the Tigers here.
-Center Andrew Miller, the team’s most experienced O-lineman, is out for the season with a fractured fibula.
-Always enjoy Andy’s “Five Thoughts” after every game.
-The basketball team opened practice on Friday night. As Berman writes, the Hokies want to play up-tempo on offense and defense but might not be able to with only eight scholarship players available. Also, the basketball team got a commitment from a guard in Texas.
NASCAR
-With his win in Charlotte on Saturday night, Clint Bowyer has climbed back into contention.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
-Alabama is No. 1 in the initial BCS standings, followed by Florida, Oregon, Kansas State and Notre Dame.
-Remember that discussion we had recently about whether the Domers could become relevant again?
-Look who’s back in business in the Fearless Forecasters.
NFL
-A man gets stabbed on his way to a 49ers game.
-Robert Griffin III runs for 138 yards to lead the Redskins over the Vikings 38-26.
-Giants make a statement with a 26-3 road win over the 49ers.
-Green Bay hands Houston its first loss, 42-24.
-Seattle drops New England back to .500 win a home win, as Russell Wilson throws three touchdown passes.
-Arizona’s kicker hits a 61-yard field goal but misses a 25-yarder at the end that gives Buffalo a 19-16 win.
-Tonight’s game is Denver at San Diego (8:30 p.m., ESPN).
NAME THAT TUNE
Six lanes
Tail lights
Red ants marchin’ into the night
They disappear to the left and right again
Another supper from a sack
A ninety-nine cent heart attack
I got a poundin’ head and an achin’ back
And the camel’s buried in a big straw stack
October 15, 2012 - 10:23 AM
That’s Where the Green Grass Grows by Tim McCraw, I believe. (I can’t believe I knew that one, btw…I HATE country music!!)
HokieGal scores on the song. That’s one of three songs I’ve sung at a karaoke bar (be thankful you weren’t there for any of them). The others? Free Fallin’ and Small Town.
Aaron, just be glad I’m deaf.
On a serious note, I am glad that Tech won on Saturday. For one quarter, Duke made me look a genius for picking them to win over the Hokies, and then it was the Hokies making me the fool.
So, this week is like a midterm exam for the football team. The question on the exam is – can they score more than 13 points, which was the combined scores from last season, against the Tigers?
In other news, the Nationals’ management got what it deserved for benching Strasburg for the playoffs. To quote someone I saw on Twitter, the ghosts of Olympic Stadium were smiling this weekend. Here’s hoping that free agents stay away from this team, which clearly acted without winning this season’s championship in mind and attempted to put long-term dollars ahead of championships.
Too bad the O’s came up short on Friday. Still, I find it very funny that the Yankees are now crying about the need for more instant replay after yesterday’s game in the Bronx. This team benefitted from Jeffrey Maier’s catch, Derek Jeter faking a hit-by-pitch, and a handful of other questionable calls in recent years…
Aaron, I do feel good about the Tigers’ chances going forward. Their starters, for the entire postseason, have allowed 5 earned runs. Total. In 7 starts. Their former closer, Jose Valverde, has given up 7 runs in 2 outings, which thankfully the Tigers recovered from to win the series against the A’s, and recovered in the 12th to beat the Yankees in game 1. Considering they throw Verlander twice, Scherzer, Sanchez, and Fister once each in the next 5…the Yankees have a tall order. The heart of their offense is batting around .100, between Texchiera, A-Rod, Granderson, and Cano…and Jeter is obviously out. I hope he recovers well. The atmosphere in NY is awful.
I’m glad VT got the win. After the pick-6, I really thought the wheels were fully off the bus, but I was impressed by the comeback. Granted though, it’s against Duke…so here after 7 games we still don’t know what this team is actually capable of. The Clemson game will be a good litmus test going forward, because the next 3 games ar ebrutal. But, given how awful Miami is against good teams, VT could lose to Clemson and FSU, but if they beat Miami, BC, and UVA…they have a real, legitimate shot at the Coastal at 7-5, 5-3…because I think Miami loses at least one more game. Amazing. But that’s if VT can get it together, still a big if.
Happy to see that Legatron (Jason Hanson) kicked the Lions into overtime, and then away with the win over the Iggles. If they had any semblance 0of a kick coverage unit, they’d be 4-1, instead of 2-3. They’re a flawed team, with discipline problems…that have shown with the awful coverage TD’s they’ve given up, plus penalties and other mistakes.
Tough luck for Jeter. Maybe he isn’t what he was but I can’t see how anyone can call him “overrated” for the course of his career.
Yankee Stadium is domn expensive the people screaming are those who can’t afford to get in.
I fear the Clemson game.
To expand on the runs given up by the Tigers…opponents have score 15 runs in 7 games. They’ve thrown 2 shutouts, a 1-run game, a 2-run loss (they were shot out in that one), and 3 games with 4 runs given up (2 wins, 1 loss). That’s 15 total runs, 14 of which are earned. Valverde gave up 7 of them…in 1-1/3 innings, vs 5 earned runs (did have 1 unearned) in 49 innings pitched by the starting rotation, which is a mind-boggling 0.92 ERA for the starters, vs a 47+ ERA for Valverde in his last 2 appearances.
In all honesty, he’s been the only glaring weakness in the club this post season…the rest of the bullpen has given up just 2 runs. The offense needs to be a little more productive though…they’ve only scored 26 runs in 7 games, but with the pitching, it’s been more than adequate.
But, that won’t be good enough to beat the Giants or Cardinals.
A-man, Have only sung one song at a karaoke bar. Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs. Needless to say, adult beverages were involved.
If VT can play the entire game against Clemson they way they played the 2nd and 3rd quarters Saturday, it could be a good game. Like Andy’s five thoughts as well.
After losing the O’s and the Nats, I think now I’ll pull for the Cards all the way. I’ll root for anyone playing the Yanks, so go Tigers! I hink losing Jeter sunk the pinstripes.
After going 9-11 in the FF, went 17-3 this week, I’m coming back.
If the Hokie defense can play against Clemson like they did for 3 quarters against Duke, VT has a legitimite chance. Turnovers will be a key as will punting, field position. Biggest strike against VT will be the Clemson homefield crowd. I am curious; where does UNC fit into the Coastal scenario? Are they eligible to win the Coastal and if so, what about the ACC championship game? Is it just a bowl game they are ineligible for? They have 2 ACC losses but have beaten VT so if there is a tie, then VT has to worry about them and Miami.
Regarding the instant replay issue. It was definitely a missed tag by the umpire, and I can’t fault him for why…it was not an angle conducive to seeing how the tag occured. Replay would help those situations to get cleared up. This one benefitted the Tigers…a previous one cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game. It’s part of the game, but it’s one that could be limited with replay, and I think they need to figure out a way to make it happen.
One argument against it is for fair/foul calls…if a ball is called foul by an umpire, but a replay showed it fair, where do the baserunners go? Fair argument, some balls like that might yield a double and advance runners at least 2 bases…so what to do? I think perhaps if there is a call like that, you give the hitter first base, and advance all runners currently on by 1 base, just to make it consistent. But, you’d have to make sure you didn’t have an umpire ruling something foul instead of fair, just to keep an extra base hit from happening…so there are some difficulties in that regard. But I see no compelling reason not to implement it to avoid obviously blown calls like yesterday.
Did it impact the outcome? In the end, no. But, I do agree with Girardi…leading 3-0 is much different than 1-0. Baseball can do better, without substantially impacting the game or pace of play. How many minutes were lost to arguing over the call? How long would it have taken for a replay to show Infante was out and to move to the bottom of the 8th? Exactly.
What are the odds that the Slippery Rock/Edinboro game will make it on the slate of the FF this week? Who does Stony Brook play?
How about Wayne State university……?
I’m partial to Alfred. They’ve been on the slate before, too.
Stony Brook is playing Garner Webb.
Word is that also Wossamata U is playing the Mud City Manglers. I hear the wide receiver for the U can really fly! And the QB is a moose on the field.
When you have to pay what it costs to go to the “new” Yankee Stadium, you aren’t going to get yellers and screamers. Welcome to the new world of sports – the golf clap will become the norm for many of these irrationally priced venues, and Yankee Stadium is among the worst.
I think the Tigers win it all – sweep the Evil Empire, get some rest, then blow out the Cards, the luckiest team in baseball to get in (how many games back were there from ATL?) – to get the extra shot, win one game, then move one. San Fran might pull it off, but momentum is with the Cardinals, momentum and the vanilla history they have. They seem to do so well, with no flash, no dash, they just seem to win.
The Tech game on Saturday showed little – the team is still ill. This was Duke, probably the first, or one of very, very few 5-1 teams that won’t make a bowl game. The comeback was impressive, but it was still Duke. This wasn’t a basketball game.
UVA is really, really hurting. London has talked it up pretty well, but he’s tripping all over himself trying to walk it. Maryland was a W for them, to me, and they flat blew it. They are 3-9, tops, and just a wide kick from possibly being 1-11.
Barry, UNC is non-existent in the ACC race – they don’t factor in to anything. If they tie with somebody, they don’t exist. They can’t play in Charlotte, a bowl, or anywhere else, after the season is over. The Coastal comes down to VT-UM, whichever team can beat the other, and go 5-3, if that. It might even come down to 4-4, with the winner of those two getting the nod.
AM -
WHAT DO YA MEAN BOOING IN NYC?
Informants tell me we should expect nothing less from a NYC crowd.
/r
RT
Looks like OJ’s Tigers and my Cards are on a collision course. My poor ole Cards have a blow out game and then have to rest the next. We’re a long shot but us old time fans are hoping. Concerning the umps, the most telling thing is the ball-strike box displayed on the screen. Matt Holiday was called out on strikes in 4 pitches and the closest ball to the box was the one called a ball. None even touched the box. That was the night the commentators commented that umpire Joyce was having a bad night. The strike zone is so wide it’s unbelievable. The key to Saturdays game is the pass rush and stopping the run. The DL will determine the outcome.
Gotta admit that’s a good point, Richard.
Gotta agree with Rick. VT running game woes are not resolved, 2 long runs do not equate to “now fixed”. Plus Duke is not all that good, I mean they only beat UVA 42-17. Clemson ends it early Saturday as Watkins cannot be single covered by the likes of VT and Boyd is a more dangerous QB than anything VT has seen so far.
Dabo will be passing out jerseys in the stands in the 4th quarter.
RIP Eddie Joyce Sr.
Bob H, I would hate to be te guy to tackle the moose. I hear they pee when they are angry. Who wants urine on their hands and jersey when they tackle the moose?
Trevor,
I have to agree but this moose was better known for his passing skills than running.
I am wondering how many people even know what we are talking about and had to google Wassomotta U to get an idea?
Does anyone know what the final score was when they played the Manglers?
Early thought on the Clemson game: the defense does a better job, but the offense struggles a bit against a much more talented defense (though beatable…they have given up a boatload of points to mediocre teams), with some added o-line holes from the injuries. Hokies will struggle to move the ball effectively, but cover the spread. Clemson ultimately wins, 27-17…but I think Miami loses to FSU, and I don’t see Duke winning another game this year.
That means the November 1 showdown at Sun Life Stadium, in front of all 17 spectators (how will ESPN manage the camera angles to avoid further embarassing The U?), will go a very long way to deciding the Coastal. But, that really doesn’t say much…UNC may well be the best team in the division, and they aren’t eligible.
If FSU and Clemson don’t win out, the ACC is going to finish the season looking pretty pathetic overall. The bottom of the conference is dreadful. The middle of the conference is well below-average. And the supposed cream-of-the-crop in the conference are not among the 10-12 best programs this year based on what’s gone on so far (FSU with their awful loss to NC State and a struggle to beat South Florida, Clemson that has given up a ton of points to truly mediocre competition like Ball State, Auburn, and BC). In some ways, this Saturday might help give clearer pictures of both Clemson and VT, since Clemson’s only true test was FSU…and they got pretty well shredded after having a 2 TD lead.
I think Rick H is on to something regarding costs and the “new” Yankee Stadium crowds. I’ve heard the same argument as to why the Philadelphia Flyers’ home crowds at Wells Fargo (Wachovia/First Union/Corestates) Center are nothing like the old Spectrum.
Rick H.,
UNC does factor into tiebreakers under certain scenarios. Let’s say we’re breaking ties between the four teams in the Coastal with only 1 loss (VT, Duke, Miami, UNC)
If UNC has the best record in the Coastal:
a. the 2nd place team goes to Charlotte if it is not involved in a tie.
b. if there is a tie for 2nd involving exactly two teams, the head-to-head winner goes to Charlotte.
c. if Duke, VT, and Miami all tie for second, break the tie as normal. If VT beats Miami, VT goes. If Miami beats VT and Duke, Miami goes. If Miami, VT, and Duke all split:
1) use their divisional record to break the tie.
2) if there is still a three-way tie and Duke beats UNC, Duke goes. Otherwise, continue breaking the tie as normal.
If UNC is in a head-to-head tie with anyone for first, the other team goes.
If UNC is in a three-way-tie with VT and Miami, the winner of VT/Miami goes. (UNC 2-0, VT/Miami winner 1-1, VT/Miami loser 0-2)
If UNC is in a three-way tie with VT and Duke:
a. VT goes if UNC beats Duke
b. If Duke beats UNC, break the ties as normal. If at any point only one of these teams is tied with UNC, that team goes. If at any point UNC wins outright, the second place team goes unless there’s a tie. Then VT goes due to having beaten Duke.
If UNC is in a three-way tie with Miami and Duke:
a. if UNC beats Duke, the Miami/Duke winner advances
b. if UNC, Duke, and Miami finish 1-1 against each other, break ties as normal. If at any point only one of these teams is tied with UNC, that team goes. If at any point UNC wins outright, the second place team goes unless there’s a tie. Then the winner of the Miami/Duke game advances.
If UNC is in a four-way tie with Miami, VT, and Duke:
a. if UNC beats Duke (UNC 3-0), then if a team finishes 2-1 in this grouping it advances. If all three finish 1-2 (Miami/Duke/VT tie), see the Miami/VT/Duke tie earlier.
b. If Duke beats UNC, then:
1) if Duke beats Miami and Miami beats VT, Duke advances.
2) if Miami beats Duke and VT, Miami advances.
3) if VT beats Miami and Miami beats Duke, VT advances.
4) if VT and Duke both beat Miami, see the UNC/VT/Duke tie-breaker earlier.
Two-teams
1. Head-to-head competition between the two tied teams
2. Records of the tied teams within the division.
3. Head-to-head competition versus the team within the division with the best overall record.(divisional) Conference record and proceeding though the division. Multiple ties within the division broken from first to last.
4. Overall record versus all common non-divisional opponents.
5. Combined record vs. all non-divisional teams.
6. Record versus common non-divisional teams based on their order of finish (divisional and non-divisional) and proceeding through other common non-divisional teams based on their order of finish within their division.
7. The tied team with the highest ranking in the Bowl Championship Series Standings following the end of regular season games shall be the divisional representative in the ACC Championship Game.
8. The representative shall be chosen by a draw.
Three or more teams
If any step ends in a tie between two teams, revert to the two-team tiebreaker process.
1. Combined head-to-head record among the tied teams
2. Records of the tied teams within the division.
3. Head-to-head competition vs. the team within the division with the best overall (divisional or conference) record, and proceeding through the division. Multiple ties within the division will be broken first to last.
4. Overall record for non-divisional teams.
5. Combined record versus all common non-divisional teams.
6. Record versus common non-divisional with the best overall Conference (divisional) and non-divisional record and proceeding through the other common non-divisional teams based on their order of finish within the division.
7. The tied team with the highest ranking in the Bowl Championship Series Standings following the conclusion of regular season games shall be the divisional representative in the ACC Championship Game, unless the second of the tied teams is ranked within five-or-fewer places of the highest ranked tied team. In this case, the head-to-head results of the top two ranked tied teams shall determine the representative in the ACC Championship Game.
8. The representative shall be chosen by a draw.
Meh. Formatting didn’t come out like I’d hoped. Ah, well. Hope that helps.
And Donald is back, my friends. Celebrate this.
So, like I said earlier before the season began, that UNC will be playing the spoiler of somebody’s season this year. Next year, watch out!
I’m already trying to figure out if Georgia Tech and UVA are mathematically eliminated with losses this weekend. I’m fairly certain Georgia Tech is eliminated with a loss to either Duke or UNC, even if they win every other ACC game they play and manage to finish in some odd 4-4 tie, since a loss to either would put them at 2-3 in the division but I can’t yet prove it. Too much still to be played.
Thanks for the clarification Donald. I will bet you can name all of the inner parts of a pocketwatch. If Stephen Morris is healthy, Miami will win the Coastal. However, if VT finishes second, look for a very nice Bowl invite.