It's Halloween and I have a business law test tomorrow, but what's really important was the sad state of Penn State's student section last Saturday.
Leaving early? Since when does "the best student section in the country" leave the game with 5 minutes left. Absolutely humiliating. I think it'd be okay to leave one of those Thursday night debacles early. Football was not meant to be played on weeknights, and some people might have something to do the next day. But on SATURDAY NIGHT!? Abandoning the student section just to get a couple of pregame tequila shots in? I used to be proud to be a part of PSU's student section.
Besides a competitive football game, another thing we missed on Saturday night was Ohio State's wonderful marching band. 2 years ago, we were fortunate enough to see the script "Ohio" written on our home field, dotted "i" and all. That same year, someone came up with the brilliant idea to tell everyone in the student section to turn around and salute the OSU band with their middle fingers in the air.
Thanks a lot, guys. It's no surprise that OSU left their band at home this time. Those of us who actually appreciate college football traditions missed out on one of the best bands in the country. I bet listening to the Blue Band play the OSU fight song was a lot more enjoyable.
Of course, Ohio State won the actually football game 37-17. The game wasn't as close as the score made it seem.
The Buckeyes dominated their offensive line of scrimmage all night long. Their o-line got tremendous push that allowed both Chris and Maurice Wells to get momentum running up field. The result was Penn State's linebackers being driven backwards upon contact. This, in turn, led to 3rd down and shorts, which OSU converted regularly.
When Ohio State wanted to throw the ball, the pocket held steady. Penn State's pass rush always seemed to arrive a second after QB Todd Boeckman found the hole in the zone. When PSU blitzed, wide outs Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline were too quick for their defenders. Converted DB Ray Small pitched in with a 60-yard reception early in the game. The only stat worth mentioning is that Ohio State punted 0 times, with a Dan Connor interception late in the 2nd quarter being the Lions' only form of resistance all night.
When Penn State had the ball, things did not go that much better. On the first drive, QB Anthony Morelli connected with TE Andrew Quarless on a play-action pass for 30 yards, which led to a RB Rodney Kinlaw touchdown. After that, things went downhill. AM's throws were mostly ineffective. In fact, he only passed for 62 yard after the first drive (111 yards total). That was good(?) for a 5.3 yards per attempt average. It didn't help that he only got to throw 21 times, but that's what happens when the other team has the ball for 37 minutes and 52 seconds.
Another factor affecting Morelli's PT was him being pulled after unofficially ending the game by throwing a TD pass to OSU DB Malcolm Jenkins in the 4th quarter. I was pretty far away (about 50 rows up), but I can say it was one of the 5 worst throws I've ever seen in my life. And I am a survivor of the Dave Brown era of New York Giants football.
The interception inevitably led to the exodus from Beaver Stadium that I mentioned earlier.
Last Saturday we also got a sneak-peak at the 2007-08 PSU Basketball team in their Blue v. White scrimmage. I'll write about how excited I am after tomorrow's mid-afternoon madness event. W00t w00t.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Baseball craziness
The weekend is almost over, and so far my baseball picks have been less accurate than Anthony Morelli.
So far, only the Red Sox are fulfilling my predictions. They're up 2-0 in the series and 2-0 in game 3 in the 5th inning. In the NL, Colorado vs. Arizona seems like a ridiculous NLCS, but it is a reality, and an exciting one at that (even if it doesn't get the ratings that a Cubs v. Phillies match-up would get). Both teams swept the same way every team sweeps: by playing very good baseball for 27 innings. The Rockies only scored an above-average amount of runs in game 2 (a 10-5 victory), while they out-pitched the Phillies in games 1 and 3. Jeff Francis and Ubaldo Jimenez were surprisingly effective against the potent Philly bats, and the Colorado bullpen was dominant. Only Jeremy Affeldt gave up a run, while Brian Fuentes and Manny Corpas locked down the Phils in the later innings. If they keep playing like this, I don't see how even Arizona can slow them down.
Speaking of Arizona, they continue to be an anomaly. They played like a team that actually outscored its opponents in the regular season. Brandon Webb won game 1 nearly by himself, then the Arizona bats got to Ted Lily in game 2. Game 3 was strange, because Livan Hernandez gave up 5 hits and 5 walks in just 6 innings, but allowed only 1 earned run thanks to Aramis Ramirez and Mark DeRosa grounding into double plays with runners on 1st and 2nd in two different innings. The result was a 5-1 D-backs victory and series sweep.
So what we have in the NL is a very good team against a team that is probably better than what they showed in the regular season but still not that great. Colorado SHOULD win and advance to the World Series.
In the AL the Yankees got pounded on Thursday thanks to Chien-Ming Wang's wonderful high sinker. On Friday night, things got out of control. The Yanks got a homer from Melky Cabrera to take a 1-0 lead. It appeared as though Andy Pettite would hold said lead until gnats invaded the field in the top of the 8th. That's when Doug Mientciewicz grounded out to hand the bats to Cleveland. By that time Yanks' uber-reliever Joba Chamberlain had already struck out a batter to end the Cleveland 7th and seemed poised to get 3 more outs in the 8th. But Joba, who seemed bothered by the gnats that were stuck to the back of his neck (and on his face as well), walked Grady Sizemore to start the inning. Grady then advanced to second on a wild pitch and was bunted over to third. Chamberlain's 2nd wild pitch of the inning later scored Sizemore. After that the game settled down and the gnats eventually fled. The Indians went on to win the game on a Travis Hafner bases-loaded line drive in the 11th.
Although the Yanks are down 2-0, they have the best chance to come back just because the pitching mismatch tonight (Clemens v. Jake Westbrook) at Yankee Stadium could give the Yanks the momentum they need. Even though the Yankees would have to face C.C. Sabathia again, I believe their hitters will be up for the challenge. Even if they struggle, I doubt Wang will struggle with his sinker again. The bottom line is: don't be surprised if this series gets exciting (at least one has to, right?).
So far, only the Red Sox are fulfilling my predictions. They're up 2-0 in the series and 2-0 in game 3 in the 5th inning. In the NL, Colorado vs. Arizona seems like a ridiculous NLCS, but it is a reality, and an exciting one at that (even if it doesn't get the ratings that a Cubs v. Phillies match-up would get). Both teams swept the same way every team sweeps: by playing very good baseball for 27 innings. The Rockies only scored an above-average amount of runs in game 2 (a 10-5 victory), while they out-pitched the Phillies in games 1 and 3. Jeff Francis and Ubaldo Jimenez were surprisingly effective against the potent Philly bats, and the Colorado bullpen was dominant. Only Jeremy Affeldt gave up a run, while Brian Fuentes and Manny Corpas locked down the Phils in the later innings. If they keep playing like this, I don't see how even Arizona can slow them down.
Speaking of Arizona, they continue to be an anomaly. They played like a team that actually outscored its opponents in the regular season. Brandon Webb won game 1 nearly by himself, then the Arizona bats got to Ted Lily in game 2. Game 3 was strange, because Livan Hernandez gave up 5 hits and 5 walks in just 6 innings, but allowed only 1 earned run thanks to Aramis Ramirez and Mark DeRosa grounding into double plays with runners on 1st and 2nd in two different innings. The result was a 5-1 D-backs victory and series sweep.
So what we have in the NL is a very good team against a team that is probably better than what they showed in the regular season but still not that great. Colorado SHOULD win and advance to the World Series.
In the AL the Yankees got pounded on Thursday thanks to Chien-Ming Wang's wonderful high sinker. On Friday night, things got out of control. The Yanks got a homer from Melky Cabrera to take a 1-0 lead. It appeared as though Andy Pettite would hold said lead until gnats invaded the field in the top of the 8th. That's when Doug Mientciewicz grounded out to hand the bats to Cleveland. By that time Yanks' uber-reliever Joba Chamberlain had already struck out a batter to end the Cleveland 7th and seemed poised to get 3 more outs in the 8th. But Joba, who seemed bothered by the gnats that were stuck to the back of his neck (and on his face as well), walked Grady Sizemore to start the inning. Grady then advanced to second on a wild pitch and was bunted over to third. Chamberlain's 2nd wild pitch of the inning later scored Sizemore. After that the game settled down and the gnats eventually fled. The Indians went on to win the game on a Travis Hafner bases-loaded line drive in the 11th.
Although the Yanks are down 2-0, they have the best chance to come back just because the pitching mismatch tonight (Clemens v. Jake Westbrook) at Yankee Stadium could give the Yanks the momentum they need. Even though the Yankees would have to face C.C. Sabathia again, I believe their hitters will be up for the challenge. Even if they struggle, I doubt Wang will struggle with his sinker again. The bottom line is: don't be surprised if this series gets exciting (at least one has to, right?).
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Thursday Morning Quickie
Yesterday was interesting because the games played enforced one playoff stereotype while stomping on another.
First, the idea that pitching wins in the playoffs was enforced as each game was dominated by a starting pitcher. I expected Beckett and Webb to pitch well, but Francis' excellent pitching against the Phillies was a shock, just because he's not been the most consistent pitcher all year and the Phillies' lefties have hit lefty pitchers well. However, you couldn't tell from watching the game on Wednesday. Utley and Howard combined for 7 strikeouts and Francis cruised until Rowand and Burrel went back-to-back in the 5th inning. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, the Rockies' bullpen was just as good as Francis' first four innings, and Holliday hit a homer for insurance.
Speaking of homers, I thought teams in the playoffs were supposed to manufacture runs? Not last night. A lot of the runs were on homers, including 3 of the 4 Red Sox runs and 2 of the 3 D-backs runs.
Time to go to an interview. Oh well. I'll be back later.
BTW, the NHL season started last night and the Yankees will beat the Indians IMHO. I hope I'm wrong.
First, the idea that pitching wins in the playoffs was enforced as each game was dominated by a starting pitcher. I expected Beckett and Webb to pitch well, but Francis' excellent pitching against the Phillies was a shock, just because he's not been the most consistent pitcher all year and the Phillies' lefties have hit lefty pitchers well. However, you couldn't tell from watching the game on Wednesday. Utley and Howard combined for 7 strikeouts and Francis cruised until Rowand and Burrel went back-to-back in the 5th inning. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, the Rockies' bullpen was just as good as Francis' first four innings, and Holliday hit a homer for insurance.
Speaking of homers, I thought teams in the playoffs were supposed to manufacture runs? Not last night. A lot of the runs were on homers, including 3 of the 4 Red Sox runs and 2 of the 3 D-backs runs.
Time to go to an interview. Oh well. I'll be back later.
BTW, the NHL season started last night and the Yankees will beat the Indians IMHO. I hope I'm wrong.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
MVP Nonsense
One can only hope that the rest of the National League playoffs are just as exciting as Monday night's tiebreaker between San Diego and Colorado. It was refreshing to watch two competent ball clubs battle each other to the very end and beyond. Both teams were able to limit early damage and make comebacks early on. Later in the game, the bullpens were steady, holding the game at a tie until extra innings. Amazingly, the Rockies were able to answer Scott Hairston's two run homer in the top of the 13th with 3 runs off of closer Trevor Hoffman. The last view days have been a nightmare for San Diego fans. Not only did their Padres blow saves in 2 of the last 3 games to lose the wild card, but the Chargers are in a 1-3 hole to start the football season.
A lot of people want Jimmy Rollins to be the NL MVP, but his stats are amazingly similar to Carlos Beltran's. Rollins has a lot more steals, but besides that, both guys have done the same at the plate, and no one's mentioning Beltran for MVP.
Rollins might not even be the NL's best shortstop. Just look at what Hanley Ramirez has done out of the lead-off spot this year. Although Rollins is much better defensively, it's hard to argue that he's a better hitter than Hanley. So who should be the NL MVP? There are a bunch of guys who could get it. No one really stands out for me. This one's up to the voters.
As promised, here's the run differential numbers for the 4 AL playoff teams:
Red Sox: 867-657 = 210
Yankees: 968-777 = 191
Indians: 811-704 = 107
Angels: 822-731 = 91
The Sox and Yanks are clearly the dominant teams here, but just like Dane Cook says, you can't script October. Anything can happen, but don't be surprised if everyone's two least favorite teams play in the ALCS again.
If you're still wondering about the NL MVP, I decided to look into more obscure stats. Here's the NL candidates ranked according to how many runs would be scored per 27 outs (ie: one game) by a lineup made up of 9 clones of the mentioned players. For example, a lineup made up of 9 Chippers Jones clones would score nearly 9 runs per game (unless the game was played in Shea Stadium, in which case the 1st inning would never cease). Does this make Chipper Jones the MVP? Hey, why the heck not? He's the only one of the candidates who walked more than he struck out anyway.
Oh, by the way, according to the same measure, David Ortiz is worth more runs than A-rod! However, I still think you have to give A-rod the nod just because of the ridiculous quantity of powerful hits that he had. It's crazy to think that he actually hit 19 more home runs than Big Papi.
Quick playoff predictions: I'll take Philly over Colorado because both teams can hit, but Cole Hamels is the only real stopper in the series. However, if Philly's bullpen resorts to it's old ways, it could get ugly. This might be the 1st round's most exciting match up.
Chicago over Arizona, because I still don't know how Arizona won so many games. Soriano, Ramirez, and Lee are downright frightening, and Chicago's staff isn't so bad either.
Boston should defeat Anaheim. I have nothing against the Angels, but Boston just seems a little bit deeper in the lineup and on the mound.
That's it for today. Yankees v. Tribe prediction coming tomorrow as well as some other stuff.
A lot of people want Jimmy Rollins to be the NL MVP, but his stats are amazingly similar to Carlos Beltran's. Rollins has a lot more steals, but besides that, both guys have done the same at the plate, and no one's mentioning Beltran for MVP.
Rollins might not even be the NL's best shortstop. Just look at what Hanley Ramirez has done out of the lead-off spot this year. Although Rollins is much better defensively, it's hard to argue that he's a better hitter than Hanley. So who should be the NL MVP? There are a bunch of guys who could get it. No one really stands out for me. This one's up to the voters.
As promised, here's the run differential numbers for the 4 AL playoff teams:
Red Sox: 867-657 = 210
Yankees: 968-777 = 191
Indians: 811-704 = 107
Angels: 822-731 = 91
The Sox and Yanks are clearly the dominant teams here, but just like Dane Cook says, you can't script October. Anything can happen, but don't be surprised if everyone's two least favorite teams play in the ALCS again.
If you're still wondering about the NL MVP, I decided to look into more obscure stats. Here's the NL candidates ranked according to how many runs would be scored per 27 outs (ie: one game) by a lineup made up of 9 clones of the mentioned players. For example, a lineup made up of 9 Chippers Jones clones would score nearly 9 runs per game (unless the game was played in Shea Stadium, in which case the 1st inning would never cease). Does this make Chipper Jones the MVP? Hey, why the heck not? He's the only one of the candidates who walked more than he struck out anyway.
Oh, by the way, according to the same measure, David Ortiz is worth more runs than A-rod! However, I still think you have to give A-rod the nod just because of the ridiculous quantity of powerful hits that he had. It's crazy to think that he actually hit 19 more home runs than Big Papi.
Quick playoff predictions: I'll take Philly over Colorado because both teams can hit, but Cole Hamels is the only real stopper in the series. However, if Philly's bullpen resorts to it's old ways, it could get ugly. This might be the 1st round's most exciting match up.
Chicago over Arizona, because I still don't know how Arizona won so many games. Soriano, Ramirez, and Lee are downright frightening, and Chicago's staff isn't so bad either.
Boston should defeat Anaheim. I have nothing against the Angels, but Boston just seems a little bit deeper in the lineup and on the mound.
That's it for today. Yankees v. Tribe prediction coming tomorrow as well as some other stuff.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Going Emo
Sunday seems so long ago now.
Maybe that's because I've seen enough "Mets choke" television and internet fodder to last 7 years. Or maybe it's because my mood shifted so much from Sunday afternoon to Sunday evening.
Things started off bad when Hanley Ramirez leaned his elbow into what would have been Tom Glavine's first strikeout of the game. He eventually walked. Dan Uggla grounded out, but Tom wouldn't get another out in the inning. The Mets trailed 7-1 after one inning, and they never really came close to winning. Ironically, the bullpen pitched remarkably well over 8+ innings, but it didn't really matter. Philly defeated Washington handily, and it was all over before 5 pm.
So I was more than a little upset on Sunday afternoon, with no hope left for the baseball season. What was worse was that I only could watch the first few minutes of the Giants v. Eagles game before heading into a fraternity meeting that ended up lasting until nearly 11 pm. You can imagine my surprise when I learned that the Giants had dominated the game defensively. I mean, it didn't make any sense. They had struggled to put pressure on the quarterback the first two games before a decent outing at Washington. Now the Giants had managed to sack McNabb 12 times. It was like a dream come true. Big Blue NEVER gets to McNabb like that. The Giants' UGLY 16-3 win tasted so good, not just because it was against the Eagles, but because of it's nostalgic value that reminded me of the '97 and '00 teams that roughed up their opponents.
The Giants really came through for me on Sunday. That's the only way to put it. I was down because of the Mets, and they lifted me right back up. I imagine it was kind of like being in a decent relationship.
So that's what happened to me on Sunday. Really emotional stuff. I'm way too into sports. So instead of concentrating on my tax homework (it'll get done eventually), I'll probably watch the Rockies play the Padres in the NL Wild Card one game playoff. There's nothing better than single elimination.
Correction: there's nothing better than single elimination when your staff's HOF pitcher doesn't give up 7 runs in the first inning. Let's hope Fogg and Peavy have better luck. I'm going to root for the Rockies because I think their run differential makes them deserve the playoff spot more, but it could be tough against Peavy.
In other important news, I've decided to finish Super Metriod before moving on to Metriod Prime 3. Unfortunately, I don't know where to go now that I have the gravity suit. I sort of hit a brick wall in this annoying new sector I've discovered. There's quicksand all over the place. I can't handle it. So I've been debating whether to look it up online or not. I'd rather find an answer myself, but I don't feel like I have the time to be running around Brinstar when I've got all this stuff to do. It's a tough life decision.
Tomorrow, look forward to thoughts regarding the NL play-in game as well as AL run differential fun.
Maybe that's because I've seen enough "Mets choke" television and internet fodder to last 7 years. Or maybe it's because my mood shifted so much from Sunday afternoon to Sunday evening.
Things started off bad when Hanley Ramirez leaned his elbow into what would have been Tom Glavine's first strikeout of the game. He eventually walked. Dan Uggla grounded out, but Tom wouldn't get another out in the inning. The Mets trailed 7-1 after one inning, and they never really came close to winning. Ironically, the bullpen pitched remarkably well over 8+ innings, but it didn't really matter. Philly defeated Washington handily, and it was all over before 5 pm.
So I was more than a little upset on Sunday afternoon, with no hope left for the baseball season. What was worse was that I only could watch the first few minutes of the Giants v. Eagles game before heading into a fraternity meeting that ended up lasting until nearly 11 pm. You can imagine my surprise when I learned that the Giants had dominated the game defensively. I mean, it didn't make any sense. They had struggled to put pressure on the quarterback the first two games before a decent outing at Washington. Now the Giants had managed to sack McNabb 12 times. It was like a dream come true. Big Blue NEVER gets to McNabb like that. The Giants' UGLY 16-3 win tasted so good, not just because it was against the Eagles, but because of it's nostalgic value that reminded me of the '97 and '00 teams that roughed up their opponents.
The Giants really came through for me on Sunday. That's the only way to put it. I was down because of the Mets, and they lifted me right back up. I imagine it was kind of like being in a decent relationship.
So that's what happened to me on Sunday. Really emotional stuff. I'm way too into sports. So instead of concentrating on my tax homework (it'll get done eventually), I'll probably watch the Rockies play the Padres in the NL Wild Card one game playoff. There's nothing better than single elimination.
Correction: there's nothing better than single elimination when your staff's HOF pitcher doesn't give up 7 runs in the first inning. Let's hope Fogg and Peavy have better luck. I'm going to root for the Rockies because I think their run differential makes them deserve the playoff spot more, but it could be tough against Peavy.
In other important news, I've decided to finish Super Metriod before moving on to Metriod Prime 3. Unfortunately, I don't know where to go now that I have the gravity suit. I sort of hit a brick wall in this annoying new sector I've discovered. There's quicksand all over the place. I can't handle it. So I've been debating whether to look it up online or not. I'd rather find an answer myself, but I don't feel like I have the time to be running around Brinstar when I've got all this stuff to do. It's a tough life decision.
Tomorrow, look forward to thoughts regarding the NL play-in game as well as AL run differential fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)