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(08/28/13 4:55pm)
In this week’s Around the Dorm the “Ref,” Chris Molicki, asks our panel three questions: whether ESPN’s recent decision to cancel a concussion-related documentary under pressure from the NFL is something we should all care about, how the New Jersey Devils’ offseason has gone, and if there needs to be more steroids regulations in football — and if so, should Congress be the organization to make sure that happens?
1. Should ESPN reportedly cancelling a concussion documentary under pressure from the NFL be something the average sports fan cares about?
Peter: This is something that should be in the minds of every sports fan, whether they care about this particular case or not, because it’s indicative of a larger problem in the industry. Sports journalism outlets like ESPN are between a rock and a hard place. They want to offer a top-tier product by being objective and informative, but at the same time possess a strong incentive to appease their partners by portraying them in a positive light. This is particularly true for football, ESPN’s big cash cow. If an investigative story turns some people off the sport for good, or even just upsets the NCAA or NFL, it’s bad for business. If it’s bad enough, ESPN might lose their partners and will certainly lose ratings. This particular story might be untrue, which is very possible — let’s all not crucify ESPN over an uncertainty — but as a story, it sends the message that it’s important everyone trying to be an intelligent sports fan has a healthy skepticism of what they see on TV. In sports particularly, there’s often another story behind what’s being reported.
Mike: They should care very, very much. First of all, average fans care about their players as human beings. Concussions are far more serious than even the horror story reports so far have shown — even a mild concussion can last more than six full months and result in all kinds of long-lasting brain damage. If a player sustains a second concussion during that time period, even when the symptoms aren’t prevalent, it can result in death. The fact that the NFL wants the documentary buried at all is highly alarming. And why would ESPN kowtow to the NFL’s demands anyway? Here’s why I think they did — ESPN isn’t the only big-time 24-hour sports channel anymore. They lost their monopoly to Fox Sports One and NBC Sports Channel, which means that now, instead of the leagues needing them, they need the leagues. That means that all three sports networks have to do what the leagues tell them to do in order to get what they need reliably, which means the subjects of the stories are driving them rather than the reporters. Ask any journalism major — that’s ALWAYS a bad thing for anyone who wants to know the full story (like the average sports fan).
Andrew: Sports fans should be very concerned because this is a classic example of industries being controlled by money. It is up to ESPN to report the news accurately, and not to succumb to the pressure of the NFL. Understandably, the NFL does not like bad press. However, the media outlets should write whatever they seem fit. Concussions are a major issue and should not be taken lightly. If the NFL is not interested in researching this serious injury, it could have a major effect on minors. In a recent study by the New York Times, they wrote that since 1997, 50 youth football players have either died or sustained critical head injuries on the field. If the NFL wants to ignore the effects of concussions, then they are setting a bad example for football players of all ages.
Peter wins for pointing out how important football is moneywise, Mike gets 2 points for bringing up ESPN’s competition & Andrew gets 1 point for saying how industries are controlled.
2. Grade the New Jersey Devils’ offseason.
Peter: I’ll give the Devils’ offseason a B. Flipping the no. 9 pick in a terrible draft for the goalie of tomorrow was a sneakily great move by GM Lou Lamoriello, while adding the likes of Michael Ryder and Jaromir Jagr will help boost the offense in the short-term (even if they aren’t answers for what this team will look like down the line). Getting billionaire new owners inspires financial confidence for the future, and even losing Ilya Kovalchuk and his gargantuan contract can only help the franchise’s future, considering how much salary cap space the Devils were on the hook for in 10 years’ time. But losing Kovalchuk, in addition to Clarkson, will hurt regardless of how bad the former’s contract was. Those two combined for 93 goals in the past two seasons while building valuable chemistry with their teammates, and I don’t think Lamoriello was able to replace them with players of equal quality. It was a difficult window to acquire anyone more significant than the likes of Ryder and a concussion-riddled Ryan Clowe, but that doesn’t change how lacking this offense could be this year. Without serious scoring punch, the Devils are going to continue hovering in a near-rebuilding phase for another season — good enough on defense and in possession to beat anyone, but without the consistency necessary to contend.
Mike: B+. When the Devils first lost Kovalchuk, the general reaction was obviously negative (unless you count Patrik Elias, who has said Kovalchuk occasionally made some amateur mistakes on the ice), but they’ve since added Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder, which should keep their offense strong. They also picked up Jaromir Jagr, who might be older but is still considered to be a very solid player, especially given his well-known rigorous training routine. And don’t undersell that Schneider trade. The new goalie was sent to the Olympic training camp, and potential Olympians tend not to be slouches. They’ve also got a new owner, Josh Harris, and so far the change looks like one for the better. The Devils may not be a true contender for the Stanley Cup this season, but with fan favorites like Jagr and Martin Brodeur likely playing their last season’s they’ll at least be entertaining. And really, for a team that missed the playoffs last season, being an entertaining group with a potentially bright future is pretty darn good.
Andrew: Despite losing their top scorer in Ilya Kovalchuk, I would give the New Jersey Devils an A-. After struggling last season, where his goal production significantly dropped from 37 goals to 11 goals, it was time for Kovalchuk to go. This move helped the Devils free up enough cap space to receive the up-and-comer Cory Schneider. Schneider will help to relieve the injury-proned goalie Martin Brodeur, and will gain experience to help him for years to come. The additions of Jaromir Jagr and Michael Ryder were also great pick-ups for the Devils who were ranked 28th last season in goals scored. These two acquisitions will help New Jersey to make up for the loss of losing Kovalchuk.
Peter wins for highlighting the Schneider trade, Mike gets 2 points for saying N.J. moved past losing Kovy & Andrew gets 1 because a team that lost its best scorer doesn’t deserve an A-.
3. Should HGH regulations increase in football, and should Congress get involved?
Peter: While there’s a new steroids-related MLB controversy that shakes baseball to its core every other week, steroids in football have long been a problem everyone is willing to slide under the rug. This seems backwards — steroids in football are more dangerous than they are in other sports because of how much violence there is. These players are already taking enough collateral damage for their profession that will kill them, often literally, down the line — they don’t need help from banned substances to tear each other apart, or put themselves in the line of fire for early heart attacks and self-destructive behavior. I believe there should definitely be more HGH regulations in football then, and don’t have a huge problem with Congress trying to force the sport into it. This is partly because I believe Roger Goodell’s NFL will never make the right decision on its own, and partly because Congress has already set precedent with the MLB. Pro sports are interstate commerce, aka fair game for Congress, and if regulations help crack down on HGH use in the NFL, then that’s a blessing in disguise.
Mike: Well, I’m confused as to why Congress is taking time to look at the NFL for steroids when they could be, you know, trying to solve all those giant problems I keep hearing about, like starving children. Obviously the NFL should do a better job of steroid testing, as should the NBA, the NHL and probably every other sports organization. Steroids are a huge problem in sports, and some of the biggest leagues are currently ignoring them. No one can think that steroids, which increase a person’s physical abilities, are a problem limited to just baseball and cycling. Is not one person in the NFL just a little curious as to how 300+ pound men run just so stinking fast? In the NBA, does everyone just agree that Dwight Howard’s Hulk-like shoulders are the result of squats, LeBron’s ever-enlarging head is due to his inflating ego, and Kobe’s knees just have magical healing properties? The steroids issue is one that’s been largely ignored by too many pro sports for a while now (BioGenesis links to NFL and NBA players, anyone?), so yes, they should crack down on it. As for Congress being involved, I think they have bigger fish to fry (for those starving children, maybe).
Andrew: There is no reason why Congress should force the NFL to create a stricter HGH testing policy. Although forbidden in sports, taking steroids is not an illegal crime. While Lance Armstrong or Alex Rodriguez may have been in the news lately for using these substances, neither of them were arrested for their “crimes.” Although cheating is severely frowned upon, there is no reason for Congress to get involved. This especially holds true because Congress must deal with much larger issues at hand. I understand that they want to preserve the integrity of football, but that role should be up to the NFL and not our United States government.
Andrew wins for pointing out steroids are legal, Mike gets 2 points for saying sports should look into using steroids, Peter gets 1 point for saying Goodell may not agree with Congress.
Peter wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5
(05/01/13 4:29pm)
1. Who are your biggest winners and losers from the first round of the NFL Draft?
AG: After drafting three picks in the first round, the Minnesota Vikings are the clear-cut winners. Many experts had defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd as a top-five talent, so to grab him at No. 23 was an absolute steal. He will make an immediate impact and should complement five-time pro-bowler Jared Allen. In the secondary, Xavier Rhodes is a big hitter who will also be a starter on day one. The Vikings were ranked 24th last season in most passing yards allowed, so both Floyd and Rhodes should help to solidify the defense. On offense, receiver Cordarrelle Patterson will play a huge role as the Vikings needed to find a replacement for Percy Harvin. Despite losing four draft picks to the Patriots, Minnesota still has five more picks available in the later rounds. The fact that Geno Smith was not taken in the first round was no surprise to me. What made the former West Virginia quarterback the loser is that the Bills decided to take E.J. Manuel instead. Statistically, Smith is a much more fundamentally sound quarterback, as he passed for 42 touchdowns to six interceptions. This is impressive considering Manuel only had 23 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Just by comparing the numbers, Smith’s touchdown to interception ratio was nearly three times better than Manuel’s.
CM: Ironically enough, the biggest winner and loser of the first round of the 2013 NFL draft were picked one right after the other. The best value pick by far was Jarvis Jones at No. 17 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Georgia product is a fantastic outside rusher who was ranked as high as No. 2 overall in mock drafts just a few months ago. But some red flags and a spinal issue caused teams to shy away from him. The Steelers have the personnel to work with Jones’s issues and mold him into a Pro Bowler. In addition, this fills a need, as the aging Pittsburgh defense just lost outside linebacker James Harrison. The biggest loser picked right before the Steelers, and that’s the Buffalo Bills and their selection of E. J. Manuel. This pick didn’t make sense for several reasons, even though Buffalo is in the market for a QB. There were other better quarterbacks, including projected top-10 pick Geno Smith, who has better decision-making skills and is more consistent. Also, no other quarterback went, which showed there was no urgency and that Buffalo could have scooped up Manuel in the second round. They can make the case that they wanted to make sure they were getting “their guy,” but their guy was originally thought to be Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib, who played for new Bills coach Doug Marrone, and would fit well in his West Coast scheme.
GO: In the first round, I feel that many teams made very good picks, but there is no bigger winner than the Carolina Panthers. With the 14th pick, they were able to grab arguably the best defensive player in the draft, defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. Lotulelei was projected to be a top-three pick before he was diagnosed with a medical condition that could have ended his career before even playing in the league. Fortunately, the Panthers’ doctors said the disease will not hinder his ability. Desperate for a presence in the middle of the d-line, the Panthers’ defensive ends Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy will see more one on one protections with Star in the middle. This will also help the linebackers stop the run, especially Rookie of the Year Luke Kuechly at middle linebacker. The biggest loser was definitely the Buffalo Bills. Taking E.J. Manuel, who in my opinion was the fifth best quarterback in the draft, was an idiotic move. Knowing that the team wanted to take a quarterback, the Bills should have either drafted a receiver or lineman to help build the offense around and then take someone later.
Andrew gets 3 points for mentioning the Vikings’ quantity and quality of picks. Greg gets 2 points for analyzing Lotulelei’s potential impact on Carolina. Chris gets 1 point for saying Jones is a great fit for Pittsburgh.
2. Controversial Liverpool striker Luis Suarez ferociously bit an opponent’s arm in last week’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea. What should his punishment be, and would you want a player like Suarez on your team?
AG: The 10-match ban against Suarez is simply not good enough. Suarez has a history of biting players during his playing days on Ajax Amsterdam, so after receiving a seven-match ban in 2010 for the same penalty, the punishment should be substantially increased because he has not learned. Had he played in the United States, he would not be tolerated because Suarez is too much of a liability when it comes to incidents like this. While Suarez may lead Liverpool in goals scored, they would be better without him. Currently, Liverpool is in a rebuilding stage, so it would be smart to perhaps trade him for a few younger players. If Suarez went to a team such as Real Madrid, he would be under the guidance José Mourinho who has a reputation for helping players with big egos. If Mourinho could control Suarez, then it would be a win-win situation for both teams.
CM: To me, this sounds just like Mike Tyson. Suarez is a complete head case (and possibly a cannibal). I’d give Suarez an eight-match suspension, but after seeing the English Football Association give Suarez a 10-match ban, I’m starting to think I wasn’t harsh enough. Also, if he was on my team, I would want him out. The reason for this is there are two different kinds of problem players. The first is someone like Mario Balotelli, who has caused his own share of problems and has been rather controversial, but is still coachable and somewhat normal. Then there are players like Suarez, who clearly physically harm others in the strangest of ways. Plus, this isn’t the first time Suarez has been involved in a ridiculous incident. Two years ago, Suarez was accused of making racial comments toward Patrice Evra in a match against Manchester United. Suarez was later banned for the incident, as reports came out that Suarez referred to Evra as a “negro” multiple times. Those kinds of incidents are unacceptable, and Suarez’s talent does not outweigh the trouble that comes with him.
GO: Luis Suarez is currently banned 10 matches for his inexplicable action of biting a Chelsea defender. In my opinion, I feel that the 10-match ban is a perfect punishment for something like this. This length of time can severely affect Liverpool because 10 matches is a lot when it comes to the EPL season. His actions will now not only hurt his reputation and wallet, but his whole team as well. In my opinion, great talent in soccer is overshined by stupidity, especially in the United States because it is not as popular. For example, people do not know how great of players Suarez, Balotelli, Zidane and Carlos Teves are. They only know their off-field antics or controversial on-field decisions. If you ask me if I want those guys on my squad, I would say yes in a heartbeat. In a game that has limited scoring, having a guy that can produce consistently is essential to be successful, and with proper players and coaches in an organization, having a slightly unstable personality with unbelievable ability should not be a hindrance.
Chris gets 3 points for comparing Suarez to a good head case in Mario Balotelli. Greg gets 2 points for having a strong stance on playing a player like Suarez because scoring is so rare. Andrew gets 1 point because Liverpool is not really “rebuilding.”
3. Who are your favorites to come out of each conference in the NHL playoffs?
AG: Since Sidney Crosby is expected to be back for the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. The Penguins currently have the No. 1 offense in the NHL, and after adding all-star Crosby into the mix, Pittsburgh will be even tougher to defend. Last year during the postseason, their goalies struggled and were not rested. This season, Fleury will not be as burnt out as he has been switching off with Vokoun. In the Western Conference, it is hard to choose against the Chicago Blackhawks that have the second-best offense and top-ranked defense. They just won the President’s Trophy, which now guarantees them home field advantage throughout the playoffs. This was critical, as the Blackhawks are 17-3-3 at home.
CM: The best way to tell is to find some trends in statistics and see who may follow that trend. Hot goaltending is what a lot of people think will get you to the Stanley Cup, but goaltending in general is just as important. Two big stats to look at are goals against and goals against per 60 minutes of ice time. Last year, the Los Angeles Kings were second in the regular season in both of those stats, and they rode Jonathan Quick to a Stanley Cup. The year before, the Stanley Cup finalists, the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins, were both one-two in those categories. The two teams who could follow that pattern are the Chicago Blackhawks and the New York Rangers. Behind Corey Crawford, they finished first in goals against and second in GA60. Despite underachieving, the Rangers are playing better, Henrik Lundqvist has them in third in goals against and first in GA60, and Rick Nash could be enough of an offensive spark to get them to the finals. In the end, I like Chicago and their +53 goal differential to win it all.
GO: Like I have said countless times, the NHL playoffs are the hardest to predict out of any sport. Where team chemistry means more than anything, the teams going in hot into the playoffs, along with a consistent goalkeeper, usually fair well. Right now, I think Boston will make it out of the East. There is no team that has more depth and more motivation than the Bruins. Everyone is talking about the Penguins in this Conference, but I do not feel that they can beat the Bruins in a seven-game series. With players like Chara, Marchand, Bergeron and goalie Tuukka Rask anchoring the squad, expect Boston to play well throughout the playoffs and make it to the cup. In the West, all of the hype is around the Chicago Blackhawks. Ever since their hot start to start the season, they were deemed the favorites to win it all. Unfortunately, I feel that all of this built up pressure will end up being too much for the team, and the least talked about and arguably most consistent team, the Anaheim Ducks will come out of the West.
Chris gets 3 points for using stats. Andrew gets 2 points for going with the safe picks, Pittsburgh and Chicago. Greg gets 1 point for predicting a Ducks upset in the Western Conference.
FINAL: Chris wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5
Quote: "Maybe Brandon will take me seriously now."
(04/23/13 4:00pm)
In the Around the Dorm playoffs, the “Ref,” Mike Herold, challenges staff writer Andrew Grossman, Sports Assistant Peter Fiorilla and correspondent Joe Caputo to answer questions about upsets in the NBA playoffs, which MLB aces will bounce back from rough starts, and who will be the biggest steal and bust in the NFL draft.
1. The NBA playoffs are just getting under way. Give me your upset special for the first round, and tell me why you think they can pull off the surprise.
AG: The No. 5 seed Chicago Bulls will defeat the No. 4 seed Brooklyn Nets. Throughout the season, the Bulls have played well despite having former NBA MVP point guard Derek Rose sidelined with a torn ACL. There is no doubt they are a different team in his absence, but they have figured out their winning formula by having the third best defense in terms of points allowed. With one of the best frontcourts featuring Deng, Boozer and Noah, the Bulls will be tough to contain. During the season, the Nets averaged only 88.8 possessions per game, which was 28th in the NBA. This will add pressure for Brooklyn to capitalize when they get the ball. One other problem for the Nets is their record against teams over .500. This season they went 14-26, a far cry from a team who holds the No. 4 seed. Chicago also holds the advantage in the head-to-head record against the Nets, so expect that trend to continue with the Bulls winning in six.
PF: I see a few lower seeds winning in the first round, including Memphis and Chicago, but the only genuine upset I think will happen is Golden State beating the snakebit Nuggets. If nothing else, it will be a series to watch for entertainment value: both teams live and die on fast-paced transition basketball and are both a top-six NBA team in possessions per game. And while Denver is 40-10 in its last 50, the injury situation heavily favors Golden State — Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari are out while Andrew Bogut is in — which will help paper over the cracks of the Warriors’ roster. The series will be decided primarily through (who else?) Stephen Curry, and the Warriors’ jump shot. Given how poor Denver can be at defending mid-range jumpers and the perimeter, it feels like this is the perfect time for Curry to have a memorable series and establish himself in the postseason, which could happen against any team — but especially Denver. If the Warriors hit their shots in transition (they will) and David Lee can mitigate Denver’s size advantage in the paint (he might), Golden State will take this series in six or seven games.
JC: Watch out for the Celtics. Of all the teams seeded No. 6 or lower, the Celtics have the best matchup advantage by far, and it comes at the power forward position. Assuming Kevin Garnett is healthy, the Knicks have absolutely no reliable answer for him. Will that single matchup advantage result in a Celtics series win? It could. Garnett only played in two of the Celtics’ four games against the Knicks this year, and the Celtics split those two matchups (Amar’e Stoudemire played in both). In the Celtics’ win, Garnett went for a double-double, while in their loss he was nearly a nonfactor. On the other end of the ball, the combination of Pierce, Bass and Garnett has posed some problems for Carmelo Anthony throughout the year. In his four games vs. Boston, Anthony has shot a very poor 35 percent from the field. If Boston can continue their stingy defensive play and get a monster series out of Garnett, they have the ability to pull the first round No. 7 over No. 2 upset.
Andrew gets 3 points for mentioning the Nets’ poor record against good teams. Peter gets 2 points for discussing how the exciting Warriors-Nuggets series could turn on injuries. Joe gets 1 point because KG’s advantage is limited somewhat by Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin.
2. The opening weeks of the MLB season have not been kind to many star pitchers, including Roy Halladay, Zack Greinke and last year’s Cy Young winners R.A. Dickey and David Price. Which, if any, of these pitchers will turn things around and remain near the top of the pitching profession?
AG: Tampa Bay’s David Price might have started the season off slowly, but thanks to his young age, he has the most potential to turn things around. Price has not lost any speed in his pitching, but has been leaving the ball up in the zone, and that has cost him many home runs. His WHIP is still at a respectable 1.57, so expect him to get the ball down in the zone more as he moves on into the season. On the other hand, both Halladay and Dickey are over 35 and struggling mightily. Halladay has not yet figured out how to compensate for his loss of velocity. Dickey has moved to a tougher division in the AL East and is coming off a career year that would be nearly impossible for a knuckleballer to repeat. As for Greinke, his status will be unknown as a broken collarbone could take months to heal.
PF: I can’t say anything about Greinke, who has a few extra question marks since he currently doesn’t have a functioning collarbone, but Roy Halladay is definitely not at the top of the pyramid anymore. Halladay’s velocity has dropped from the mid-90’s in his heyday to about 90 or 91 now, and he no longer possesses the ability to hit the strike zone with any consistency, partially due to injuries and age. His curveball and splitter, arguably two of his greatest assets in years past, are hitting the strike zone just 32.4 percent and 40.7 percent of the time, respectively, and, as a result, batters are more content to wait him out and take a free base — which is why he’s walked double his career average of hitters this year. R.A. Dickey is also allergic to hitting the strike zone this year and is battling injuries, so I doubt he will be able to make a full recovery, either. The only one of these four who will have an elite ERA and record by the end of the season is David Price, who has already rebounded a bit, has the benefit of relative youth and has been able to stay healthy consistently (33 starts per year since 2010), which is the greatest obstacle facing many of these otherwise talented pitchers.
JC: I have absolutely no concerns about David Price. His first four starts have been a complete fluke. While his K/9 and walk/9 ratios have stayed consistent with his numbers the last three years (two of which he posted a sub-3.00 ERA), his opponents’ batting average on balls in play have been abnormally high. In Price’s career, opposing hitters have hit only .278 on balls put in play, but this year opponents are hitting a whopping .353, while they are only hitting two percent more line drives than usual. Historically, without fail, numbers like this will always regress, which is why I have no concerns with Price. On the other hand, the career numbers of R.A. Dickey suggest that last year was actually the fluke, and his starts this year more so reflect his historical numbers. While he strikes out an average of only 6.31 batters per nine in his career, he posted an 8.86 K/9 last season.
Joe gets 3 points for talking about how the numbers say that Price is more unlucky. Peter gets 2 points for pointing out Price’s ability to stay healthy. Andrew gets 1 point for saying that Dickey’s move to a tougher division will hurt him.
3. The NFL draft is very close. Pick one bust that will go too high and one potential stud getting picked much later than he should.
AG: Whether or not Manti Te’o was involved in the girlfriend hoax, there is one thing everyone knows: he is a proven leader and smart player on the football field. This member of the Fighting Irish was the anchor of the nation’s top defense and nearly led Notre Dame to their first national title since 1988. Despite all of this success, draft experts predict Te’o to go late in the first round, even though he was almost a guaranteed top-10 draft pick prior to the hoax. At the end of the day, it is about the performance on the field, and judging from last season, Te’o will get picked much later than what he deserves. On the flip side, the experts who predict Geno Smith to be a top-10 draft pick are giving the Mountaineer too much credit. Sure, his statistics at West Virginia are impressive, but with the NFL being a quarterback-driven league, teams are asking him for too much. He may be the best quarterback available, but this year’s draft class is not as impressive as recent seasons with Newton, Luck and RG3. Smith may end up being a starting quarterback, but taking him in the top-10 is too high of a risk.
PF: It’s an obvious choice because of his position, but Geno Smith is going to be the highest-picked bust in this year’s NFL draft. One team is going to look at his ability to run the ball, get desperate and make him a top-10 pick — whether it’s the Bills, Eagles, Cardinals or someone else — even though his final season at West Virginia, which ended on a 2-6 slide, leaves a lot to be desired for a probable first-rounder. Smith has the potential to be a passable quarterback in the NFL, but because there are so many teams in need of an on-field general, he’ll get scooped up early and expectations will crash down around him. On the other side of the coin, junior college player Courtney Gardner might be overlooked a little because he has never played for a Division I program, but that’s only because of his grades — LSU wanted him last year, among other schools. As an athlete he looks phenomenally gifted, and depending on how well his football brain adjusts to the NFL, Gardner could be a solid receiver or special teams player who drops into the later rounds.
JC: I think Geno Smith is one of the biggest hit-or-miss players in this draft. As we’ve seen from past experience, this applies to many quarterbacks in the NFL Draft, and we’ve seen a lot of them get “over-drafted.” This year, it’s almost a guarantee that Smith is going to be overdrafted, and has a huge potential to be a bust. What’s helping Smith is that he is being rumored to be on the Eagles’ wish list, which would mean he does not have to come in and start right away. However, if a team picking lower than No. 4 decides they want to make a move and trade up to make Smith their franchise quarterback, that could put him in an extremely unfavorable position. My biggest sleeper is tight end Michael Williams from Alabama. Could he have Rob Gronkowski potential? Well, he has Rob Gronkowski size. He’s 6’6” and 270 pounds, and although he did not put up big numbers at Alabama, he has a huge potential to be a big-time red zone target in the NFL.
Andrew gets 3 points for saying the obvious, that Te’o’s off-field mishaps shouldn’t hurt his on-field performance too much. Peter gets 2 points for explaining that Gardner’s athletic talent will outshine his choice in school. Joe gets 1 point for talking about the size of Michael Williams.
Andrew wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5.
(04/16/13 4:00pm)
In the Around the Dorm playoffs, the “Ref,” Alec Zucker, challenges staff writer Mike Herold, correspondent Greg Oriolo and Editor-in-Chief Brendan McGrath to answer questions about the Heat’s playoff competition, the Miguel Cabrera vs. Mike Trout debate, and who is the favorite to hoist the Stanley Cup this year.
1. Coming off their championship last year, the Miami Heat have had a dominant regular season and are the clear favorites to win this year’s NBA title. With the season coming to a close, does any team in either conference have a chance to beat the Heat?
MH: The short answer is yes, several teams have a chance. However, they almost all lurk in the Western Conference and will have to duke it out amongst themselves just to get there. The Heat are not only better than everyone else this season, but they’ve also had some phenomenal luck in terms of injuries. None of their key players have gone down, while the two biggest threats in the East (Chicago and Boston) have lost their best players, and the other contenders to dethrone their Eastern supremacy (New York and Indiana) will have to beat each other first, and will most likely not have enough gas left over to take on Miami. In the West, I’d give the Thunder (the only team with the star power to match Miami) and the Nuggets (the only team with the sheer speed to handle the Heat) a fair shot, and the Spurs if they can stay healthy. I’d also say that the Clippers and Grizzlies would have a puncher’s chance, due to Chris Paul and Zach Randolph/Marc Gasol, respectively. So while several teams could beat the Heat, I don’t think any of them will. Unless, of course, Derrick Rose suddenly returns.
GO: With the NBA season coming to a close, there are a few teams that have a chance to beat the Heat in a seven-game series. First, if OKC meets the Heat in Finals they will have a chance to win. The Thunder have the star power, and offensive ability, and matchup defensively better than most teams against the Heat. Also, they have been there before, and I do not think they would make the same mistakes they did in the Finals last year. Next, several teams in the East have a shot to take the Heat down. The Knicks, Pacers, Nets and Bulls are all very deep teams, which in the playoffs is overlooked by the stars in the NBA. The way to take down the Heat is to play a physical game, getting them in foul trouble. The four teams listed all have deeper benches than the Heat and can afford to play this style of basketball against them. With that being said, I do not think that any team could execute and win four games against the Heat ,and come early June, Miami will be repeat champs.
BM: It seems pretty unlikely that any team would knock off the Heat, but there’s no way you can rule out the Knicks. The Heat are, without a doubt, a better team than the Knicks, but that doesn’t mean that they have a lock on the conference. If the Heat get beaten up in the first couple of rounds and the two teams meet in the conference finals, the Knicks have the ability to sneak four wins out of a seven-game series. Don’t get me wrong, if LeBron turns it on in the playoffs again, it’ll be nearly impossible. But at the same time, it’s no little fact that the Knicks beat the Heat convincingly three times already this year. If Brooklyn beats up the Heat in the second round, the Knicks play at the top of their game, and either LeBron or Wade is off their game, New York will have a chance.
Greg gets 3 points on his analysis of how to beat the Heat. Mike gets 2 points for listing the teams that may contend with Miami. Brendan gets 1 point for giving the Knicks a little too much credit and leaving out OKC and San Antonio.
2. Even though Miguel Cabrera hit for the Triple Crown last year, many baseball fans insist that Mike Trout is the best player in baseball (including pitchers and hitters). Do you agree?
MH: I can’t say for certain that Trout is the best player in baseball, as I think it isn’t possible to properly compare hitters to pitchers, but I do agree that he’s better than Cabrera. I take this position mostly because baseball is about more than just hitting — defense also plays a role. By virtually every statistical and non-statistical measure, Trout is fantastic on the field, whereas Cabrera hovers somewhere between average and lacking on that side of the ball. And while Cabrera did hit for the Triple Crown, his numbers weren’t that astronomically better than Trout’s, especially considering that he’s a power hitter and Trout isn’t. His batting average was a mere four points higher, and while he stole just four bases all last season, Trout swiped 49. Also interesting to note is that Trout walked one more time than Cabrera, despite having 63 fewer at bats. This generally means that Trout is either better at beating out counts, or that he’s intentionally walked more often. Either way, it speaks to how much pitchers respect his abilities. So the offensive difference is marginal at best, and with Trout’s considerably better defense, I’d say he’s better than Cabrera overall.
GO: Mike Trout is one of the few “five-tool” players in the MLB. The skill set he possesses makes him one of the most talented in baseball and his production last year was off the charts, but I cannot say he is the best after just one season. If he produces like he did last year for a season or two more, hands down this claim can be made, but there are others that have produced for more years. In my opinion, there are two players that I consider better than Trout. First is Matt Kemp. Like Trout, he is a “five-tool” player that has had several remarkable seasons in a row. Kemp is a gold glove center fielder, who can run the bases, hit for average and hit for power in timely moments. He has proved to be arguably the most complete player in the league. Another factor about Kemp is that he is reliable and proven to last a whole season. With the exception of 2012, Kemp has played over 150 games in four straight seasons, which is so valuable. That is why he is the best in baseball.
BM: I wasn’t opposed to Cabrera winning the MVP last year, but I would say it is fair to call Trout the best player in baseball. If you look at a stat like WAR, Trout comes out on top. That’s the big argument for Trout being the best, but in reality, he dominates the traditional categories too. He has good power and run production, though his totals are currently short of what Cabrera puts up. Beyond this, however, he brings defense and speed into the equation. This at least puts him on even keel with the rest of the best players in the game, but if you count the fact that he’s only 21 years old, it seems like he has a good chance at “developing” more power, to the point where he may be the best in these categories in a couple of years as well. I don’t know how he’s going to turn out, and I think there’s an argument to be made for Cabrera, a future Bryce Harper and a healthy Matt Kemp, but if there is one player who I want in my team’s lineup today, it’s Mike Trout. And if there’s one player I want in my lineup 10 years from now, it’s Mike Trout.
Mike gets 3 points for discussing Trout’s skill set and Cabrera’s weaknesses. Brendan gets 2 points for talking about Trout’s epic potential for years to come. Greg gets 1 point for being realistic about Trout after only one season.
3. The shortened NHL season is almost over. Which team has the best shot to win the Stanley Cup this year?
MH: While it might seem like a two team race between the Penguins and Blackhawks right now, I’m going to take into account the lessons from past seasons. Last year, the Kings won it all despite being a No. 8 seed and barely squeaking their way into the postseason, and in hockey, it often seems as though seeding and regular season record don’t matter all too much. What’s more important is having a stud goalie and heating up heading into the playoffs. At the moment, the two teams who most fit that description are the Washington Capitals and the St. Louis Blues. Both, as of writing this, are riding winning streaks, and have seen strong goalie play from Braden Holtby and Brian Elliot, respectively. Of the two, I’d pick Washington to take home the cup, if only because they have the best overall player on either team in Alex Ovechkin, and often in the playoffs, the best players come out on top.
GO: Like I’ve said before, the NHL playoffs are by far the hardest to predict in any sport. Before the Crosby injury, I would have said the Penguins would have been the team to beat. Now, with him out, each team that makes the playoffs will have a shot. My prediction for who wins the cup is whoever is the hottest team entering the playoff tournament. Last year, the No. 8 seed Kings got hot at the right time, only losing a handful of games on their way to the cup. Right now, the hottest team is the Washington Capitals. Led by Alex the Great, who is playing better than anyone in the NHL, the Caps have reeled off six straight wins. If the playoffs were to start today, they would be my pick. Unfortunately, they do not. In the end, I feel that Anaheim will raise the cup. They are the least talked about elite team in the NHL and possibly the most well rounded team in the league. Look for them to knock off the much more talked about Blackhawks squad in the Western Conference Finals and whoever comes out of the East.
BM: I think the Blackhawks are obviously a great team and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they win, but my money’s on the Penguins. This does not look like a year where a low seed is going to make it all the way to the finals. In this shortened year, the Penguins and Blackhawks, along with a couple of other well put together teams, are in pretty strong position. The Penguins, come playoff time, will be in the strongest position. This is an experienced, successful and very talented team. Crosby’s out right now, but they’re just holding off on him until they need him. Until then, Malkin and Iginla, two of the other greatest players of the last two decades will carry the team — not to mention the other 10 plus quality skaters they boast. By the second round, this team will be running on all cylinders and they’ll be able to overcome the Canadiens, Bruins, Rangers and any other team that might appear to be a challenge. Pay no attention to what they do the rest of the season, because as soon as the playoffs come, they’ll tear up the competition in the East. In the finals, they can outgun the Blackhawks or Ducks, and ride an adequate M.A. Fleury to the Cup.
Greg gets 3 points for mentioning the Ducks and their balanced squad. Brendan gets 2 points for talking about Pittsburgh’s acquisitions and playoff experience. Mike gets 1 point for noting that the Kings get hot at the right time and comparing them to Washington and St. Louis.
Greg wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5.
(04/09/13 4:00pm)
In the first round of the Around the Dorm playoffs, the “Ref,” Kevin Lee, challenges sports editor Chris Molicki, staff writer Chrissy Onorato and correspondent Alec Zucker to answer questions about bold predictions for baseball, who the best NBA draft prospect is, and which of LeBron’s many great moments is the most memorable.
1. Spring is in the air and baseball season is underway. What’s your bold prediction for the 2013 MLB season?
CM: All of the buzz this offseason has been about the Los Angeles Angels. In addition, the Texas Rangers have been the stalwarts in the AL West for several years. Therefore, my bold prediction is that neither team will win the division. Youth will prevail once again, and the Oakland A’s will capture their second straight AL West title. The Athletics proved that their formula worked last year, and it’s all thanks to their youth. The team’s starting rotation of Brett Anderson, Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone, Dan Straily and A.J. Griffin are all between the ages of 24 and 26 and all had ERAs of less than 4.00 last season. If any of those guys break out this year, the A’s pitching staff will truly be deadly. On offense, the team has some talented young pieces. Josh Redick is a budding superstar, Yoenis Cespedes is looking to make a big leap in his sophomore year and Brandon Moss is coming off his best season in the majors. Throw in Grant Balfour as a solid closer, and there’s no reason why Billy Beane’s kids shouldn’t be in the hunt for the AL West title. I think they’ll win it.
CO: My bold prediction for the 2013 MLB season is that Washington will take it all. Up until they brought up Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals had always struggled. Their fan base was dismal and their games generated very little news coverage. However, when Strasburg began to show his worth in 2010, Washington looked like they had a rising star, until he had to have surgery. Now, he’s back and they have another key player in Bryce Harper. Ego aside, he is a versatile player who has brought media attention and stellar play to this team. The rest of the team is young and refreshing, and I like the way they just seem to click on the field. They’re going to have some tough competition against the Braves in the NL East, so they may have to shoot for the wild card, but something tells me they’re going to make it far in the playoffs and could go for it all.
AZ: While the New York Yankees have made the playoffs in 17 of the last 18 seasons, the team will be very lucky to earn a wild-card spot in 2013. As a Yankees fan, it’s a shame that Mariano Rivera’s legendary career may end early in September. Not only have other division opponents, notably Toronto and Tampa Bay, improved, but the team will miss several key bats in the lineup, such as Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and even Derek Jeter for a significant amount of time. In turn, I must ask Brian Cashman: why is Francisco Cervelli the starting catcher of the New York Yankees? Seriously? Instead of acquiring Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner, two overpaid veterans who are well past their primes, Cashman should have invested money in the second most important position on the field (after the pitcher). The pitching staff should be fine, though aging veterans like Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte may break down as the season progresses. If the Yankees can find ways to score without only hitting home runs, they may have a chance to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, the odds of this happening, given the makeup of the team, are slim to none.
Chris gets 3 points for actually going out on a limb, plus I love Jarrod Parker and the A’s talented rotation. Chrissy and Alec each get 1.5 points for their lack of boldness.
2. As the NBA season is coming to a close, many teams will start their preparations for the NBA draft. Who is the best player in this year’s draft?
CM: Some people like the hot shooting Ben McLemore. Others prefer the defense of Nerlens Noel. Shabazz Muhammad is still highly regarded. But Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart will be the best NBA player out of this year’s bunch. Smart was great as a freshman for the Cowboys, averaging 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists, while leading the nation in steals, showing he has a complete game. Smart, as a point guard, excels at creating his own shots and finding his teammates. In addition, he’s a great on-ball defender that led an underrated Oklahoma State defense. As talented as he is, it doesn’t stop there. Smart has all the intangibles you want in a player. He’s very unselfish, he knows how to win, and he plays hard on every position. In the NBA, the point guard position is extremely crucial, showing that Smart can be a huge difference-maker for any team. Smart is the kind of player that a team can build their franchise around, as he’s a natural leader. The smart choice is to pick Smart.
CO: One of the most promising draft picks for this year’s NBA draft looks to be Nerlens Noel. After a year at Kentucky, he has caught the eye of everyone around him. His trademark hairstyle doesn’t do much for his play on the court, but he is a popular name in conversations and people are beginning to know more about him. Playing center for Kentucky, Noel tore his left ACL this past February, but is still available for this upcoming draft. This year he has also won a variety of awards, including SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He has won others, and will continue to win them as soon as he is well enough to play fulltime. His season high is 15 points in one game, which he accomplished twice this year. Noel is also known for his commitment and hard work, something some players today take for granted.
AZ: While the easy choices for the 2013 NBA draft’s best player may be Ben McLemore or Nerlens Noel, I’ll go out on a limb and say the best player is Shabazz Muhammad out of UCLA. Muhammad is one of the most dynamic shooting guards in college basketball, averaged a solid 18 points per game while adding an average of five rebounds, and shot 45 percent from the field this past year. Not only does he have one of the coolest names in all of sports, but Muhammad also has the skills needed to become an NBA star. He already has a strong NBA body to compete, incredible athleticism and length, the killer instinct we have come to expect from NBA stars, and is, by far, the most prolific scorer in the country. Some basketball analysts say Muhammad has the skillset to become the next Paul Pierce, but only time will tell if he can make the transition into the NBA.
Chris gets 3 points because Smart will make an immediate impact with his explosive offensive game. Chrissy gets 2 points because there are questions that surround Noel’s health and offensive ability. Alec gets 1 point because of Muhammad’s age scandal. One year makes a huge difference in projecting player development.
3. This is LeBron James’s 10th season in the league and he’s only getting better each year. What is the most memorable moment of the King?
CM: A lot of people will say LeBron’s famous dunk on the Celtics (Marv Albert: “Lebron James showing no regard for human life!”). Others may even go with his NBA title with the Heat from last year. However, no moment has ever been more jaw-dropping than James’s performance in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals. In this game, James scored 48 points, grabbed nine boards and dished out seven assists, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. In the fourth quarter and two overtimes periods of a 109-107 win over the Pistons, James went off like a true titan, scoring the team’s last 25 points and 29 of their last 30. He was like a man possessed, slashing at will, scoring at the rim and raining jumpers left and right. When people think of LeBron, they think of a player who is virtually unguardable. This epic performance is the main reason why.
CO: LeBron James has been a force to be reckoned with for 10 straight years, and looking back on his insane career, it’s hard to pick my favorite moment. His awards of NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP were more than impressive in 2012, capitalizing on all he has accomplished in the time that he has been playing. I think his legacy is probably the most impressive thing about him though. No matter what sports team or players you follow, you probably know his name. I don’t particularly follow basketball but I definitely know his name and know of his charity work off of the court, something that is sometimes more impressive than on-the-court action. His active work with the Boys and Girls Club of America is well-known and he has used his image for better. Most well-known sports names don’t give back as much as they should, seeing the position they hold, but LeBron James knows how to be a positive role model on and off the court.
AZ: The fact that NBA fans called LeBron “King James” before he won a championship is, in and of itself, deplorable. But my most memorable moment, while not as exciting as his “shot heard around the world” against Orlando, or his dominant Game 6 performance in Boston in last year’s playoffs, was vital to LeBron’s first championship. Down 1-0 in the Finals against Oklahoma City, the Heat had their backs against the wall in Game 2 on the road. The game was close throughout, with LeBron playing well, but late in the game, LeBron made the two biggest shots of his entire career. With all of the talk about LeBron not being clutch in the fourth quarter, or choking at the free-throw line late in the game, LeBron found himself at the charity stripe with four seconds left and the Heat leading 98-96. King James swished both free throws to ice the game, tie the series and send the Heat back to Miami with momentum and confidence. If LeBron had missed one, or even both, of those free throws, OKC could have come back to take a 2-0 series lead and may have denied LeBron his first ring.
Chris gets 3 points for the amazing and historic performance LeBron had in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. Alec gets 2 points because that’s when LeBron truly became clutch. Chrissy gets 1 point for talking about all of the great things LeBron has done off the court.
Chris wins Around the Dorm, 9-4.5-4.5.
(04/02/13 4:00pm)
In this week’s matchup of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Chris Molicki, challenges staff writer Mike Herold and correspondents Joe Caputo and Greg Oriolo to answer questions about the best March Madness moment so far, if anyone can stop the Heat in the playoffs, and what the Chiefs should do with the No. 1 overall pick.
1. March Madness has been absolutely insane. What do you think has been the best moment or win so far?
MH: I know everyone and their brother is going to say Florida Gulf Coast here, but I’m taking a different approach and saying that Harvard over New Mexico was the best win of the tournament so far. For starters, it was a No. 14 seed beating a No. 3 seed, which is rare in and of itself. But throw in that it was the largest tournament upset an Ivy League school has ever won, and it suddenly becomes a bit more impressive, not to mention meaningful. Add to that Harvard’s lack of EVER WINNING AN NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME and it turns into the biggest win of March Madness. Think about that for a second — Harvard’s been around for about 6,000 years (rough estimate), and this was the first time they’d ever seen the second round. That goes way beyond anything else that’s happened in this tournament, that’s changing ancient history. Plus, we got to see a reaction from an actual Harvard grad, who plays in the NBA currently, which made everything even better.
JC: It’s easy to say, but completely true, that Chase Fieler’s alley-oop dunk off the pass from Brett Comer for FGCU has been the best moment of the tournament so far on so many levels. It was the so-called “dagger” of the game that pretty much sealed the deal for Gulf Coast’s improbable win over No. 2 Georgetown, but at the same time was a microcosm of the way the team played throughout the tournament. Their fun, up-tempo and confident style just made them so much fun to watch, and the Fieler alley-oop will be remembered for years to come when recalling March Madness memories.
GO: The best moment in the tournament so far had to be when No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast beat No. 7 San Diego State to advance into the Sweet 16. The reason for this is because I have never seen such excitement after a game on the court/in the locker room after a non-championship winning game. The crowd, the announcers, social media and, most importantly, the players were celebrating as if they had just won the tournament. More specifically, when all the players surrounded coach Andy Enfield after the game, chanting his name as if he were a king, got my attention most. This is something you don’t see much in sports, and it was amazing to see how appreciative the team was for their coach and how important he was to that team and how they created history. Team sports are meant to bring people together in order to achieve a common goal and there is no doubt in my mind that lowly ranked FGCU making it to the Sweet 16 portrays this better than any other team in the tourney, making it the best moment so far.
Mike gets 3 points for going the unconventional route and talking about how Harvard’s upset of New Mexico may have been the most stunning win of the tournament. Joe gets 2 points for explaining the gravity in the moment of Comer’s alley-oop pass. Greg gets 1 point for saying how FGCU embraced the win and their coach like nothing else.
2. The Heat streak was nothing short of dominant. Is there any team in the NBA that can beat Miami in the playoffs, or will they roll to another title?
MH: There area handful of teams who could beat the Heat. Too bad they all play in the West and will therefore be much too worn out by each other to put up a fight against a Miami team that won’t see much competition in the East. This is a monster team going up against a conference that was lacking in much challenge for them BEFORE you factored in all the injuries. Give Chicago Rose back, Boston a healthy Rondo, and the Knicks Amar’e, and this might be a conversation, but come on. The Heat will cruise through the East, face whatever’s left of the Nuggets/Thunder/Spurs/Grizzlies/Clippers (all of whom have a shot at making it and taking it to the champs if fully rested and healthy), and play around while toying with the drained Western champs. If all those key players on other teams hadn’t been hurt (heck, even Philly with Bynum would’ve been interesting), OKC hadn’t traded Harden for squat, and the Lakers hadn’t D’Antoni’d, the playoffs would be a lot more interesting, but as things stand now, Miami’s going to repeat without much challenge.
JC: There is absolutely no team in the Eastern Conference that can beat the Heat in a seven-game series in the playoffs, provided the Heat remain healthy. Teams like the Knicks, Pacers and Bulls may be able to get a game or two on their home floor, but none of them have nearly enough talent to win games in Miami. As for the Western Conference, it’s a different story. The Heat will definitely not “roll” to another title provided they are matched up with the Spurs, Thunder or Nuggets. The Spurs run the best offense in the NBA and their extraordinary depth would give the Heat some trouble when LeBron and Wade are not on the floor. The Thunder, who lost to the Heat in the finals last year, were a couple bounces here and there from making that series competitive, and it’s becoming nearly impossible lately to beat the Nuggets in Denver. In the end, the team I want to see get a shot at the Heat is Denver, and I honestly think they can give them the best series. Iguodala is the best defensive answer for LeBron, and Denver poses a major issue for Miami on the boards, especially offensively. Additionally, the fact that they can protect their home court with such consistency would make a series between Miami and Denver extremely competitive and entertaining.
GO: The Heat are the clear-cut favorite to come out of the East and to win the NBA Championship for the second straight year. As of now, they are my pick to win it all, but there are a few teams that will challenge them in the East and eventually in the Finals. In the East, teams like Indiana, New York, Brooklyn and Chicago can all hang around with Miami. These four teams are pretty complete, all having star power, a solid rotation and limited holes on offense and defense. Will either of them beat the Heat in seven games? Probably not, but there is no doubt that Miami will have to play up to their caliber to win. Now in the finals, I feel that the Thunder have the best chance of taking down the Heat. The reason for this is because they are the only team that I can say matches up well with Miami. Offensively, the Thunder are more than capable of going basket for basket with Miami and, defensively, the Thunder have the athleticism at every position to contain and disrupt the Miami offense. Come playoff time, these two teams will meet, and it will take seven games for a winner to be determined.
Greg gets 3 points for saying that despite the East being weak, the Heat will still have to fight hard to get to the finals. Joe gets 2 points for picking Denver as a sneaky dark horse to knock off the Heat. Mike gets 1 point for explaining the deficiencies in every NBA contender besides the Heat.
3. With the NFL draft under a month away and the Kansas City Chiefs on the clock, what should they do with the No. 1 overall pick?
MH: Well, since they no longer need a quarterback thanks to the Alex Smith trade, and since we all know how valuable Andy Reid’s QBs are, the Chiefs need to focus on protecting their man in the middle. Fortunately, one of the top prospects in this draft happens to do just that — Luke Joeckel. Not only does he play the perfect position for a team looking to safeguard their passer (which, by the way, the Chiefs happen to really need, since they finished 27th in passer protection last season), but he also happens to be durable and fundamentally sound. These are things Andy Reid enjoys in players (not that he had many durable stars in Philly), and right now the Chiefs have to follow their new coach’s lead. Of course, this is all in the realm of reality — what the Chiefs should really do with that draft pick is attempt to trade it in exchange for, say, another team’s luck. Or give it to the league in exchange for a move to nice, sunny Los Angeles, I hear they’re looking for a new team.
JC: The Chiefs just traded their second round pick this year and a second or third rounder next year for Alex Smith. Although I didn’t agree with what they gave up for Smith, now that the deed is done, they must protect him. Therefore, Luke Joeckel is really the only option for Kansas City with the first overall pick. The Chiefs do have the pieces at skill positions on both sides of the ball, but what fans and teams have been beginning to realize is how important an offensive line is to teams that want to be contenders late in the season. With the talent Kansas City already has and the draft picks that they just gave up for their new quarterback, it is vital that they are able to protect him. When trying to create a top-tier offensive line, everyone knows you start with the blindside.
GO: There is a lot of talk about what the Chiefs may do with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. If I were the general manager of the team, I would either take offensive tackle Luke Joeckel or possibly trade the pick, only if the right offer was made. In terms of picking Luke Joeckel, the team needs to enhance the ability of the offensive line. He is considered the best tackle in the draft and after his pro day, Adam Schefter reported that it would be hard for them to pass him up. Last year, they could not protect their quarterbacks at all. Now having a solid starter in Alex Smith, they need to give him protection. The offense has some quality skill players, so in order for the offense to be effective, Alex Smith needs to stay upright, — that is why Joeckel is a smart pick. In terms of trading the pick, the right pieces need to be offered. The team has many holes and if they get multiple picks (including a top-eight pick), a low second round pick, and at least one other piece, a trade may make sense if management feels that they can get the quality players they need to improve their roster rather than one stud tackle.
Joe gets 3 points for saying how Joeckel is the only choice for the Chiefs. Greg gets 2 points for giving the package necessary for the Chiefs to trade the pick. Mike gets 1 point for talking about how bad the Chiefs were in pass protection.
Joe wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5.
(03/19/13 7:38pm)
It is often claimed that a first impression is the final impression. Then again, those same cliché-users say that you can’t judge a book by its cover. So, when a visitor comes to the College and happens to use the urinal in the first floor men’s room of the library, he may experience an array of feelings, some of them attributed to the baffling graffiti scrawled on the wall. But the existence of graffiti going un-cleaned symbolizes not only poor maintenance, but a student body that disrespects and vandalizes property. The same goes for a rotten banana stuck inside a chandelier outside Decker Hall, or trashed bathrooms in the Towers. While the cleaning staff has a duty to ensure that the campus is well-maintained, those who use the campus must do their share, too.
When tough financial times come to institutions, maintenance is among the “little things” that gets chipped away at first. Such budget cuts prevent staff from having enough resources to keep the campus in tip-top shape, or even having enough staff in the first place. While the results are often subtle, they add up over time: walls go un-painted, facades of the buildings crack (such is the case with the columns outside of the library), and floors go un-vacuumed. Discrete observers may notice this, but students most likely will not. However, students must do their part to make up for this, primarily by treating their campus and the facilities with the respect that it deserves.
This means, among other things, not leaving trash strewn about outside, or urinating in the elevators of residence halls, or leaving paper towels in a pile on the bathroom floor when the bins are full. Proactivity is required (when you see something, say something!) to keep facility managers aware of maintenance problems that occur across campus. Combining the efforts of those who maintain the campus with those who use the campus will result in a community that is cleaner and more enjoyable for everyone.
— Brian Kempf, Features Assistant
While you should always practice not judging a book by its cover, people are always going to do it. That’s why no one in their right mind would wear sweatpants to a job interview, and that’s why no one would invite someone into their home without first cleaning the dirty dishes and vacuuming the floor. First impressions mean a lot.
So, just as we would never (hopefully) recklessly throw garbage on the floors of our homes or slam doors so hard that the doorknobs fall off, we should treat our homes at the College (this includes the entire campus) in the same way. If you throw something into a garbage can but accidentally miss, take the extra three seconds to pick it up. When you feel the urge to write something on the door of a bathroom stall, don’t; we’re no longer in high school (although I don’t think this was even acceptable then).
We should all the love the College campus and be proud of the school we attend. Therefore, we should treat it with the respect it deserves. As we should always want to make a great first impression for ourselves, we should all, through a combined effort, help the College make the same great first impression for itself. Treat our campus with respect and it will, in turn, make that great first impression and will be given the respect by others that it deserves.
— Amy Reynolds, Managing Editor
(03/19/13 4:00pm)
In this week’s matchup of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Chrissy Onorato, challenges staff writer Mike Pietroforte, correspondent Joe Caputo and Editor-in-Chief Brendan McGrath to answer questions about World Series favorites, the rising interest in NASCAR, and which NFL players could use a change of scenery.
1. Since Spring Training began, we have seen some exciting MLB action. With Opening Day drawing closer, who are your picks out of each league for the World Series this year?
MP: From the National League, my selection is the Cincinnati Reds. They saw young starting pitchers Aroldis Chapman, Mat Latos, Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey all flash some dominance and put together solid year last season. I expect those pitchers to take another step forward this year. Cincinnati boasts a lineup containing Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce. They added another all-star caliber bat in Shin-Soo Choo. They’re a team that finished with the second most wins in baseball last year and they’ll only be better this year. There are a few teams in the American League with ridiculously scary lineups, the Los Angeles Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays being two of them. However, the Blue Jays seem to have the questions about starting pitching answered while the Angels do not. The Jays have two hitters in their lineup that threaten to hit 40 home runs in a season with Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. They also have serious up-and-coming prospect Brett Lawrie at third base. After they committed highway robbery this offseason and took Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buerhle and Emilio Bonifacio from Miami, they went out and got R.A. Dickey from the Mets to add to an already potent pitching staff. My money is on Cincinati to win in six games.
JC: To me, baseball is all about pitching. Although scoring runs is how you ultimately win games, holding the opposing team down makes it so much easier to manufacture runs on the offensive end. With that said, I have Detroit returning to the World Series out of the American League. Not only do they have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Justin Verlander, but the rest of their pitching staff may be one of the most underrated in baseball. Max Scherzer is primed to be a star in the league, coming off a season in which he boasted an 11.08 strikeout per nine innings ratio, which was easily the best in baseball. Doug Fister and Anibal Sanchez have consistently posted excellent advanced numbers that continue to improve, including high strikeout and low walk rates. Oh, and their offense isn’t too shabby either, as they’ll add Victor Martinez back from injury to the lineup that already consists of triple-crown winner Miguel Cabrera. From the National League, I have the Washington Nationals. To this day, I believe that Washington would have made the World Series last year had they let Strasburg pitch in the postseason. He’ll be out there this year, and the team will only be better than it was a year ago. Budding young stars in Harper, Ramos and Desmond coupled with arguably the best rotation in the National League will give them an edge and bring them to the Fall Classic. In that matchup, I’ll take Detroit in six.
BM: As a Mets fan, it pains me to say this, but the National League is going to come down to the Nationals and the Braves this year. I think the Braves will surprise a lot of people by overcoming a deep Washington team and show that their starters can rival any rotation out there. Plus, if the Braves are winning after six innings, they’re nearly guaranteed a “W” thanks to what is by far the best bullpen in the game. Throw in the most dynamic outfield in a generation, and this team has what it takes to win it all. The Blue Jays will be the team the Braves beat in October, as Toronto’s exciting offseason comes together to pull them ahead of the rest of the American League. Dickey, Morrow, Johnson, Buehrle. Reyes, Cabrera, Bautista, Bonifacio, Encarnacion. This team won 73 games in a really good division last season, and Encarnacion is the only player listed here who played a full season for the Jays. Couple this surge of talent with weaker (though still very good) divisional foes, and the Jays will be in great shape to make the playoffs, where their top heavy rotation and great offense will carry them through AL play.
Brendan gets 3 points for talking about the Blue Jays’ stacked lineup. Joe gets 2 points for talking about how pitching is the key to winning games and for mentioning the talent in Detroit. Mike gets 1 point for talking about prospects and trades for the Blue Jays and how they will come to dominate this season.
2. With NASCAR back in full swing, Danica Patrick is taking the media by storm. Nascar is not normally seen as an interesting “sport” but with the addition of a female driver, do you think it can expand its fan base and get over its normal stereotypes?
MP: There are some places in the country where NASCAR is a really, really big deal. Hundreds of thousands of people go out to see some of the bigger races and they truly are a rabid fan base. There are also some places that have almost no interest in NASCAR. I, along with most of the New York/New Jersey area, groan whenever I see a segment about NASCAR come on ESPN. Danica Patrick has seen some mild success along with some overbearing publicity. She’s definitely changing the perspectives of a lot of people who don’t think women can compete in sports dominated by men, but I don’t see that growing the national fanbase that NASCAR already sees. You either love NASCAR or you just really wish it would stop showing up on ESPN.
JC: Contrary to popular belief of people living in this part of the country, NASCAR actually does have a pretty large fan base as they attract nearly 130,000 fans to each race. However, the problem is they cannot seem to expand to certain parts of the country, and I do not believe there is much hope to do so. The people of the metropolitan areas (including myself) have pre-conceived notions about NASCAR that I don’t think they will be able to shake, not even with the addition of Patrick. A major problem for NASCAR, in my opinion, is that there are too many other sports that cities like New York follow, and there is not enough available attention that can be paid to NASCAR. NASCAR will continue to attract its usual fan base, but the chances of the addition of Patrick actually expanding the sport’s interest seem very slim.
BM: I’m not sure about the interesting part. I think a lot of people find it interesting and, though I’m not crazy about it, I see why some people love NASCAR. In terms of stereotypes, I think Patrick could help a lot of people in the Northeast get over the thought that car racing is in some way not worthy of their attention. I understand sports fans who don’t enjoy NASCAR, but I think a lot of people judge it more in terms of culture than entertainment. The fact that this sport features a woman competing directly with men, something that no prominent sports league I can think of has, may make people think twice about how they characterize it. As Patrick continues to compete and propel herself into the limelight, the sport will gain a greater base of fans just from the additional coverage it gains. Throw in the fact that huge sections of the country will be forced to confront their stereotypes about NASCAR, and this will prove to be a boom for the sport.
Mike gets 3 points for recognizing how Patrick has overcome many stereotypes. Joe gets 2 points for mentioning how NASCAR needs to expand its fan base to other parts of the country. Brendan gets 1 point for saying how we are now more compelled to listen to NASCAR coverage because of the publicity Patrick gets as a female driver.
3. With multiple trades and changes occurring in the NFL, which player, rumored to be in the process of a change, would you most like to see go to a different team?
MP: The highest profile player rumored to be on the move this offseason is the N.Y. Jets’ Darrelle Revis. Before a knee injury ended his season early, Revis was widely regarded as the best cornerback in football. The latest rumors suggest a trade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the most interesting landing spot was the team that was the early on favorite to land him, the San Francisco 49ers. The Jets handcuffed themselves when it became clear that they would not be re-signing Revis and at this point it doesn’t appear that the Jets will get back the value that they’ll be trading. It would be crazy to imagine the league’s premier shutdown corner going to one of the most intimidating run defenses. San Francisco allowed only 155.7 rushing yards per game last year, and they get after the quarterback with elite pass rushers like Justin Smith. It would be very interesting to see a team like that add a player like Revis.
JC: Darrelle Revis MUST be on a different team before this season starts for various reasons. To start, the Jets are, or at least should be, in a rebuilding stage, and they should be trying to acquire as many top picks as they can, and there are certainly teams out there that are willing to part with first-round picks for Revis. When you’re in a rebuilding stage, you need volume and competition at nearly every position, and keeping Revis will not allow you to have that. Why? Because the guy is going to ask for near $15 million next season. The Jets cannot afford to pay a defensive back $15 million while they watch their quarterback finish top-five in the league in turnovers, and their offense perform as one of the worst in the league. Therefore, since the Jets should not be planning to re-sign Revis, whose contract expires after this upcoming season, it would make the most sense for them to trade him now, while he still has pretty high value on the trade market.
BM: Darelle Revis. I love the Jets. I love Revis. But this team has become so full of problems that there does not seem to be any hope of a good season this year. If he walks and the Jets don’t capitalize on his value, they’ll just cut down their chances of turning it around. They need to squeeze some draft picks out of him. If they do this and chop out all of the bad players in their clubhouse, they can put themselves in decent position to bounce back next year. They have a good coach, and they finally have a good general manager, who won’t trade away all of their picks. If they trade Revis now, they have a shot at being a good team in 2014 and getting back on track If they hold on to him, they’re just going to hold themselves back.
Brendan gets 3 points for stating how the Jets must trade Revis and set themselves up for better seasons in the future, as there isn’t much hope for them currently. Joe gets 2 points for recognizing how Revis will be demanding a huge amount of money next year and that the Jets need to capitalize on that. Mike gets 1 point for predicting Revis’s move to the 49ers.
Brendan wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5.
(03/05/13 5:00pm)
In this week’s matchup of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Mike Herold, challenges staff writer Chrissy Onorato, sports assistant Peter Fiorilla and correspondent Alec Zucker to answer questions about what to change about the NFL draft combine, how to make soccer more exciting, and which new faces in baseball everyone should be looking out for.
1. The NFL draft combine finished up this week. Which player’s performance helped his draft stock the most? Who hurt theirs the most?
CO: I would have to say that defensive back Dee Milliner looked very strong and inspiring. He postponed ligament surgery to be able to compete in the combine, jeopardizing his injury even more. He told reporters that his chance of getting drafted was more important and that he had to show his drive this way. He posted a terrific 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash and a quick 4.32 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle. Milliner is definitely one to be watched in the coming years. One player who I think hurt himself during the combine was LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu. He was definitely quick in the 40-yard dash, posting a time of 4.51 seconds. However, he was only able to bench press 225 pounds four times. I watched an analysis and he was compared to an Arizona State kicker who was able to bench press 225 pounds 13 times. It has been stated Mathieu is not a hard worker and may just not be ready for the NFL.
PF: All-American Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner, despite practicing through a shoulder injury, proved he possesses the speed necessary to be a solid NFL prospect with his performance at the combine. We knew he was a large and fearsome corner, but there were doubts about his ability to close down attackers with speed displayed at the pro level. Running a 4.37 at the combine eliminated those doubts, virtually guaranteeing Milliner will be picked between the No. 5 and No. 10 spots, when he might have been a late first-rounder otherwise. On the other end of the spectrum, I’m having a tough time deciding whether Texas A&M’s Damontre Moore or Utah’s Star Lotulelei hurt their stock more with the combine. Both were projected top-10 picks who I suspect will fall into the end of the first round, but I think Moore’s performance — an ugly 4.95 time in the 40-yard dash and only 12 bench reps — might have been worse than Lotulelei’s unfortunate no-show due to a heart condition.
AZ: NFL fans were largely focused on Linebacker Manti Te`o and how the kid would respond after being publicly humiliated. Fortunately for Te’o and the NFL, there are many other college players that have the potential to steal the spotlight this upcoming season. DT Sharrif Floyd from Florida, already considered a first round pick before the combine, is now a likely Top-10 selection after displaying a powerful combination of strength and speed. Floyd’s ability to change direction and explode on an opposing player will be a defensive asset for any NFL team. Arkansas tight end Chris Gragg also improved his draft prospects at the combine. After a stellar 2011 season, Gragg failed to meet his high expectations for this past season and scouts were pessimistic on his draft prospects. However, following a tremendous showing of athleticism, quickness and precision, Gragg has a chance to challenge Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski for the top tight end spot. While NFL analysts say this draft class is weak compared to last year’s, I believe talent is available in this class.
Chrissy gets 3 points for pointing out that Mathieu just might not be a hard enough worker for the NFL. Peter gets 2 points for discussing the problems that can come from doing poorly at the combine and from not attending at all. Alec gets 1 point for talking about the overall talent in the draft class.
2. Soccer is boring. That’s the view of most Americans, anyway. What can the MLS do to entice more American sports fans?
CO: I think that is just because it really is never advertised. The only time I ever watched soccer is around the Fourth of July when the World Cup takes place, but that is the European circuit and not even the American one. For our country, I think the teams definitely need to put their names out there more. You very rarely see soccer commercials when you are watching television, while you may see two or three commercials about a baseball team during one show. I also think the players need to make themselves known more to the fans. For example, many baseball players come out before a game and sign autographs for fans sitting lower in the stadium. Soccer players should go out to events and get their names out there. They should at least try to make themselves most well known.
PF: The two sentences in the question are not really related. Most Americans like soccer, whether it is shown by playing at the youth level or taking in World Cup action every four years. The problem for the MLS — and I do not believe there is much of a problem at all, as the league has been on a consistent upward trajectory since it was nine teams smaller in 2004 — is that MLS struggles to attract many existing soccer fans. If anyone has any legitimate ideas to crack that nut, then take it to MLS headquarters and make as much money as you can, because there are a lot of wealthy investors in the league who would be more than willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on such a solution (most of them have already spent small fortunes on soccer-specific stadiums in the past 15 years). Really, there is nothing to do besides stay the course and continue attracting higher-profile players, increasing the salary cap and adding more teams in more major markets, which it looks to do with the New York Cosmos in the foreseeable future. There are no easy answers, like bringing in cheap gimmicks or “Americanizing” the game, which failed miserably in the late ’90s. MLS just has to let its product speak for itself and hope the hoards of soccer fans that avoid it will eventually embrace the constant improvement of the league.
AZ: Don’t get me wrong, soccer is a fun sport to play, though it will never get the same levels of interest and attention that the other major sports receive in the United States. One reason for soccer’s unpopularity is the lack of exposure it acquires from ESPN and other sports media. The chances of turning on ESPN and seeing a soccer game are slim at best. Furthermore, there are no real superstars in soccer that average Americans can recognize or relate to. Soccer is also a non-contact sport, and us Americans seem to love the fighting in hockey, tackling in football, and tough defense in basketball. For soccer to augment its interest among American sports fans, it must invest in a public relations campaign that buys media time, advertises the game effectively, and conducts research on why Americans dislike the game. It’s difficult for even soccer experts to explain why people find soccer boring, so deciphering why this is true through polling is essential before modifying the game play. No matter what the sport does, it’s fighting a losing battle because the other major sports have more resources, interest and credibility at their disposal to compete for popularity.
Chrissy gets 3 points for discussing an actual solution and mentioning that the players and teams need to communicate with the fans more. Peter gets 2 points for remarking that the league needs to let its product speak for itself. Alec gets 1 point for discussing soccer’s lack of media attention.
3. Spring Training is in full swing. Which player on a new team or coming back from injury are you most excited to see?
CO: With Spring Training finally back, this baseball season is looking like it is shaping up to be very different from last year. The player who I am most excited to see back for a full season is the Phillies’ second baseman, Chase Utley. Utley has missed Spring Training since 2009 due to injuries from previous seasons and has had multiple problems with his back, knee and hand. In a recent interview with Utley, he told reporters that he wanted to try something different this offseason. He said he usually took many weeks off from training and enjoyed the off-season but this past year, he took one week off and then traveled to San Diego where he went through intense training and conditioning in the hopes of finally remaining healthy for an entire season. Utley has been an important part of the Phillies ever since his MLB debut in 2003. With a career average of .292, he always comes up clutch when the Phils are in a tight spot. I’m definitely looking forward to and hoping he remains healthy for the entire 2013 season.
PF: I am excited to see new Yankees first basemen Kevin Youkilis, the great hitter who once said he will “always be a Red Sox,” ply his trade in New York. Youkilis is old, but he was only out of Boston because of an absurd drama with absurd manager Terry Francona, and might have a lot to offer at 33 in return for his $12 million contract. During his 80 games with the White Sox last year, Youkilis hit 15 home runs and added 45 RBI, and he was an All-Star as recently as 2011. He has always been an above-average fielder, too. But what is equally exciting is the possibility Youkilis will bring with him the other, less-desirable parts of his game, like going just .236 at the plate — long gone are the days when Youkilis can be a .300 hitter — on a Yankees team whose batting average was pretty miserable in last year’s postseason. And as a former Red Sox favorite, there will be drama with Youkilis, whether it is instigated by the fans or media. He really is the perfect symbol for the Yankees this year: an above-average but old mercenary who is not inspiring anybody, which is why I will closely watch his performance this year for some measure of guaranteed entertainment.
AZ: With the Red Sox rebuilding and the Yankees licking their wounds after an embarrassing ALCS, the Toronto Blue Jays are favored to win the AL East in 2013. New acquisitions of Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buerhle and R.A. Dickey may help this team reach the World Series. The player I am most interested in seeing perform for this team is outfielder Melky Cabrera. In 2012, the Melk Man got off to a hot start and, by August, was leading the MLB in hits with a .346 average, while also driving in 60 runs and hitting 11 home runs. However, on Aug. 15, Cabrera tested positive for high levels of testosterone, suggesting illegal usage of PEDs. Cabrera was suspended for 50 games and San Francisco went on to win the World Series without their star outfielder. Toronto took a risk when they signed Cabrera to a two-year, $16 million deal, because nobody can predict how Cabrera will play on a new team in a completely different city, and after missing the final months of last season.
Alec gets 3 points for pointing out that the Blue Jays have many new players to look out for. Peter gets 2 points for talking about the switch Youkilis made from the Red Sox to the Yankees. Chrissy gets 1 point for discussing Utley’s health issues over the past few seasons.
Chrissy wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5.
(02/26/13 5:00pm)
In a special matchup of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Chris Molicki, challenges Features Editor Shaun Fitzpatrick, Managing Editor Amy Reynolds and former Editor-in-Chief Jamie Primeau to answer questions about what to change about the NBA All-Star weekend, which Eastern conference NBA team can make a playoff push, and what Jadeveon Clowney should do with the NFL draft.
1. The NBA All-Star weekend was incredibly dull across the board. What ideas do you have to make the festivities more exciting?
SF: Two words: Human. Sacrifice. Let’s raise the stakes a little bit. In my high school Spanish class, we learned that in certain pre-Columbian Central American civilizations, whichever team lost (or, some scholars argue, won) a game of ulama would be put to death. Let’s take this concept and implement it into the NBA. Ratings would increase and teams would work a hell of a lot harder. Every game is exciting when the players are competing for their lives! And, since it’s arguable whether the losers or the victors were the ones who were killed after the match, the NBA could switch this up as well! Teams would never know if they should be trying to win or lose! How has no one thought of this before?
AR: People enjoy watching the best of the best compete — that’s why the All-Star Game exists in the first place. However, not enough players participate in the All-Star Weekend. In order to make it more interesting, all players should be required to participate in all All-Star Weekend events. In fact, this year, neither LeBron nor Blake Griffin was in the Slam Dunk Contest. In addition, players should have to participate in all activities during the All-Star Weekend or they should not be able to play in the game itself. Unless star players are in the Slam Dunk Contest, the public will not take that competition seriously. This year, James White, Gerald Green, Kenneth Faried, Eric Bledsoe, Jeremy Evans and Terrence Ross all competed in the Slam Dunk contest. However, only die-hard NBA fans will be able to recognize those names, whereas casual fans won’t be interested.
JP: The most interesting thing about this year’s All-Star Weekend was Lil Wayne’s claim that he’s banned from the NBA (which wound up not even being true). Why not make all parties happy and add a Lil Wayne concert to the agenda? Even better, since Jay-Z owns the Nets, you could get Jay, Bey and Kanye on board. Maybe a Blue Ivy cameo? We all saw what Beyoncé did for the Super Bowl! More realistic suggestion? Spice up the dunk contest. Two full minutes is far too long to have for a dunk. If I was given that amount of time, I’d probably even get one in. Limit the number of shots they take or lessen the time. Overall, make the contests more entertaining and challenging. Here’s my best idea: Invite some Looney Tunes characters — like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck — and team them up with Michael Jordan. Call them the Tune Squad. Pit them against a group of bad guys named the Monstars. Maybe Marvin the Martian could be the ref? We’d get to see if Jordan can make a comeback (he just turned 50 after all). I’d pay to see that! In fact, you could probably make a movie about it.
Amy gets 3 points for pointing out the lack of star power in the All-Star events. Shaun gets 2 points because there’s really nothing more exciting than human sacrifice. Jamie gets 1 point for her “Space Jam” reference.
2. With the second half of the NBA season beginning, the eight East playoff teams are nearly set. Or are they? Give me the team currently outside of a playoff spot you think can make a push into the postseason.
SF: I’m going with the Charlotte Bobcats, because I love an underdog. So what if NBA.com is telling me that they’ve lost 41 games? That just means that no one will see their victory coming. There have been plenty of movies made about scrappy teams that, with a great training montage and the help of a coach who believes in them, have been able to go from worst in the league to champions. Maybe they could get Denzel Washington to coach them. Or Rick Moranis! He did such a great job in Little Giants! Wait, those were both movies about football, weren’t they?
AR: If any East team currently not in the playoff spot can make the playoffs this season, it would be Toronto. All of the East teams currently not in a playoff spot have significant weaknesses. Only a collapse by either Boston or Milwaukee will get one of them in. The closest are Philly and Toronto. If any teams are to switch positions it would be Milwaukee, currently eighth, and Toronto, currently 10th. According to the latest ESPN projections, the Raptors have a 32 percent chance of making the playoffs while the Bucks have a 38 percent chance of missing them. Every team ahead of Milwaukee has at least a 95 percent chance of making it while only Philly, at seven percent but playing poorly, would have even a remote shot at moving up.
JP: I think the Toronto Raptors definitely have a chance at making a push into the postseason. First of all, they have the most awesome mascot. Nothing beats dinosaurs! Sure, their record (23-33) may have more losses than wins, but they’re still one of the top-10 Eastern Conference teams. Just this past week they beat the Knicks, who are ranked third. The final score only had a two-point difference, but it shows how Toronto can keep up with the best of them. This was also the Raptors’ sixth win in their past seven games! The team also has three rookies on the roster, meaning they have some fresh potential for greatness. During the All-Star Weekend, Raptors rookie Terrence Ross even won the Slam Dunk Contest. He took the title over past champions and runners up. Long story short, it looks like the Raptors won’t be extinct when the postseason rolls around!
Amy gets 3 points for her analysis of the percent chance that the Raptors make the playoffs. Jamie gets 2 points for pointing out the current Raptors’ hot streak. Shaun gets 1 point because, let’s face it, the Bobcats aren’t going anywhere.
3. It has been suggested that South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney sit out his junior season and prepare for the NFL draft. Do you think it would be wise for Clowney to do that and protect his draft stock?
SF: I’m torn. On one hand, I think it’s smart to look at the bigger picture. If Clowney thinks sitting out is best for his chances of a future career, then he should absolutely do that. It’s practical. On the other hand, he made a commitment to his team! South Carolina is HIS TEAM and he would be letting it, as well as all of his fellow players, down by not playing. Doesn’t loyalty mean anything anymore? (I mean that as an actual question. Is loyalty in sports important? I’m a little “out of my league” with these questions.)
AR: Clowney should play, but he should also buy a large insurance policy in case he gets hurt. If he doesn’t play, many NFL teams will hold that against him. Playing insures him being the No. 1 draft pick in 2014 barring injury. Clowney could also challenge the NFL’s rule that makes a player ineligible to play in the NFL until three years after high school. However, a previous challenge by Maurice Clarett of Ohio State was unsuccessful. There is no reason to think Clowney’s chances of winning in court would be any better.
JP: The smartest decision would be for Clowney to sit out and prep for the draft. Sports Illustrated’s website called him the “presumptive 2014 No. 1 Draft Pick.” Because people are already discussing his potential as a sophomore, he must be pretty darn good. It would be wise to sit out his junior season to avoid the risk of injury. He should train privately to prepare for the NFL while still staying in school and finishing his college education. There is such a high risk of injury in football, regardless of whether he plays his junior season or heads into the NFL draft. Football could turn into a career for him, but at the same time, it’s important to have something to fall back on afterwards. I think if he chooses to train for the NFL while still getting his degree, he’d have the best of both worlds. He wouldn’t be ruining his draft stock and he’d also be setting himself up for a solid future. If he were to stay and play at college, he would be gaining experience but increasing his chance of injury.
Jamie gets 3 points for pointing out the importance of a degree. Shaun gets 2 points for discussing Clowney’s loyalty to his team. Amy gets 1 point for talking about the chances Clowney could get hurt.
Amy wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5.
(02/19/13 5:00pm)
In this week’s matchup of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Chris Molicki, challenges staff writer Mike Herold, news assistant Julie Kayzerman and staff writer Andrew Grossman to answer questions about the Eagles’ decision to keep Michael Vick, who the top sleepers are in college basketball, and which team is the favorite to come out of the NHL’s Atlantic Division.
1. The Philadelphia Eagles just restructured Michael Vick’s contract to a one-year deal, penciling him in as their starter next season in new head coach Chip Kelly’s offense. Do you think this was a good decision by the Eagles? And how will Philly fare this season with Vick under the helm?
MH: They replaced his old deal, which was signed in 2011 and was meant to last for six seasons. Considering that deal was for $100 million, and this one is only for $10 million, they definitely made the right financial decision, and therefore made the right call overall. If Vick doesn’t work out, they can just let him go as a free agent next year, and all will be well. And I think that’s what will eventually happen, due to two primary reasons: Vick isn’t the right fit for Chip Kelly’s offense and Philly is going to eat that team alive this year. Kelly’s offense uses a lot of designed runs, an area where Vick struggles somewhat, gaining just 1.7 yards per carry on them (compared to his impressive 6.7 yards per carry on scrambles, his greatest strength), so he’s not the perfect fit. And since the Eagles won’t make the playoffs this season, the fans of Philly (cowed last season by the woeful awfulness of their supposed Super Bowl favorites) are going to explode, which will make everything seem even worse than it is. I’m guessing they finish the season 7-9.
JK: The decision to sign Michael Vick was not a good one for the Philadelphia Eagles because nothing will change to reignite the team. Vick is always suffering from huge injuries and is surrounded by a lackluster team that doesn’t have a good offense. Vick has been trying to force pocket passes and instead has ended up throwing several interceptions and therefore will not improve the overall play of the Eagles.
AG: The signing of Michael Vick is a high risk, high-reward situation. We all know what he is capable of, but after having 13 touchdowns to 15 turnovers last season, Philly fans should begin to worry. Through four seasons playing for the Eagles, Vick has yet to start all 16 games. With durability and turnovers being a consistent issue, Chip Kelly must have a trick up his sleeve if he believes he can return Vick back to his top form. Now 32, he is not getting any younger, which means the smart decision would be to start the young Nick Foles. In seven games with the Eagles, Foles completed over 60 percent of his passes for nearly 1,700 yards. He also got much better as the season progressed. Although more people would like to see Vick start, Foles is the Eagles’ future. The sooner Kelly and the rest of the organization realize that, the better.
Mike gets 3 points for discussing Kelly’s offense and Vick’s struggles with designed runs. Andrew gets 2 points for saying how Vick is really past his prime. Julie gets 1 point for pointing out that there isn’t great talent on the team surrounding Vick.
2. College basketball has been absolutely insane so far, with upsets happening left and right to top teams. Forget about the favorites, who are your two sleepers to make a deep run in March Madness?
MH: With all the crazy ups and downs, I think to pick a sleeper you need to drop out of the top 25 ranked schools. That being said, my first Cinderella is going to be the St. Mary’s Gaels, who currently sit somewhere just below that mark. I’m going with them for two reasons, one fact-based and the other superstition-backed. The factual one is simple — they have a great offense, hitting 48.9 percent of their shots and 39.2 percent of their threes, and putting up 77 points per game. The superstitious reasoning is that at least one religious school always makes a run, and they look like the top candidate this season. My second pick would be the Missouri Tigers, mostly because the coaches think they are the best non-top 25 team (coaches tend to know what they’re talking about here) and because they’ve got an inside game grabbing 42 boards per contest, which certainly helps in tournament play.
JK: With several upsets this season, I think that Illinois and Syracuse can make a good run in March Madness this year. Illinois’s D.J. Richardson has been scoring several points and the team has clearly been coming together nicely as they have been on a three-game winning streak, including an upset over the No. 1-ranked Indiana. In addition, now No. 21-seeded Notre Dame has proven to be a contender after fighting their way through five tiring overtimes in an exciting game against then No. 11-seeded Louisville. The ending minute and overtime minutes of games in any sport are the minutes where true team chemistry, conditioning and hard work come into play to prove who is worthy of victory and Notre Dame has been proving to do just that.
AG: My two sleeper teams may have started out as favorites earlier in the season, but due to recent slumps, the analysts are beginning to question their abilities. The No. 14 Kansas Jayhawks and the No. 23 Oregon Ducks both have the potential to make deep runs in March Madness if they can get back to their mid-season form. First with the Jayhawks, they had a great run last year before falling short to Kentucky in the Championship game. With three of their five starters back from last season, they have the experience and are poised to make another deep run. As for Oregon, they too were playing well until their three-game skid. Prior to that streak, they beat out top-ranked teams including Arizona and UCLA. If they can find their rhythm again, they know they can contest with any school in the Pac-12 and in the nation.
Julie gets 3 points for discussing the recent success of Illinois and Notre Dame against top teams. Mike gets 2 points for pointing out Missouri’s ability on the boards. Andrew gets 1 point because Kansas and Oregon really aren’t sleeper teams.
3. Despite losing Zach Parise, the Devils are cruising in the Atlantic Division. However, the Penguins are right there with them, the Rangers and Flyers are starting to come on, and even the Islanders are relevant. Who is your favorite to come out on top in arguably the best division in hockey?
MH: I picked the Devils to make it all the way to the Stanley Cup a few weeks ago, and now I look like a bit of a genius. I’m sticking with them now in part because I picked them then, and because they’re currently winning. Also adding to my decision is their recent reacquisition of Alexei Ponikarovsky (don’t you just love trying to spell/pronounce professional hockey players’ names?), who was one of the key contributors to their playoff run last season. Plus, the other players appear happy to have him back, which can only be a good thing for team chemistry, and he’s happy to be back as well, which is also a positive sign. Further adding to my argument is that this team is much like the Spurs in the NBA — they’ve been here before, so they won’t panic, and they came so close last year, so they have quite a bit of motivation. And, you know, they ARE Jersey’s last true pro team, so anyone who doesn’t pick them is un-New-Jerseyan.
JK: The New York Rangers may be falling just short of the Devils and the Penguins. However, their continuous improvement in team chemistry prompts me to favor them as the team to come out on top. The Rangers have acquired several young and talented players that have stepped up on the ice. With the leadership of Captain Ryan Callahan, the heart and soul of the team, New York becomes inspired on the ice, resulting in hard-fought battles and constant pressure from young forwards like Carl Hagelin. On the defensive side, Marc Staal, Michael Del Zotto, Ryan McDonough and Dan Girardi provide solid blocking and positioning skills to back up arguably the best current goalie in the NHL, Henrik Lundqvist, in order to lead the Rangers to victory.
AG: The Pittsburgh Penguins are not only the best team in the Atlantic Division, but they also have a legitimate chance to hoist the Stanley Cup by the season’s end. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz all ranked in the top 10 in points scored, this Penguins offense has been nearly unstoppable. On the defensive side of the puck, Marc-Andre Fleury has also been incredible with seven wins thus far as goalie. Behind Fleury is Tomas Vokoun who is a legitimate back-up goalie in his own right. This combination can help to keep Fluery fresh heading into the playoffs. While the Devils’ surge is certainly impressive, they do not have the personnel to hold off a healthy Penguins team in the later part of the season. My only concern is Crosby’s tendency to get hurt. If he and the rest of his team can stay healthy, then the Devil’s would be fighting an uphill battle. Other than injuries plaguing Pittsburgh, it is the Penguins’ division to lose.
Andrew gets 3 points for mentioning all of the talent of the Penguins. Mike gets 2 points for saying how the Devils are a team that knows how to win. Julie gets 1 point for discussing the all-around solid players on the Rangers.
Mike wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5.
(02/12/13 5:00pm)
In this week’s matchup of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Alec Zucker, challenges Sports Editor Chris Molicki, Sports Assistant Peter Fiorilla and Editor-in-Chief Brendan McGrath to answer questions about Joe Flacco’s elite status in the NFL, whether or not the Lakers can make the playoffs, and who will win the World Series, as well as who will be baseball’s biggest surprise.
1. After a stellar postseason combined with a Super Bowl Championship and the game’s MVP, Joe Flacco is on top of the NFL world. Where would you rank Flacco in comparison to the other top quarterbacks in the NFL? Should he be considered an elite quarterback in the league?
CM: After winning a Super Bowl with one of the most impressive four-game playoff stretches a quarterback has ever produced, there’s no doubt he is elite. He’s shown the ability to get it done on the biggest stage and he also has the most playoff road wins ever by a quarterback. His 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions in these playoffs is something only accomplished by Joe Montana. Despite only slightly above average regular season stats, Flacco has jumped into elite status. In regards to him ranking among other quarterbacks, Flacco is certainly not in the Rodgers/Brady/Peyton/Brees tier and I still think he’s behind Big Ben and Eli because of their multiple Super Bowl rings. However, I can’t find another QB better right now. Kaepernick, Griffin, Wilson and Luck have all had too small of a sample size to really compete. He’s undoubtedly in front of Romo, Stafford, Newton and Schaub. The only signal caller that’s close is Matt Ryan, but he failed to make the Super Bowl that Flacco won.
PF: Let’s not mistake winning a Super Bowl with being a special talent in the mold of Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees. I do hate to talk about who is “elite” and who is not, since no one really knows what it means, but it is also clear plenty of non-“elite” quarterbacks have won rings without sustained excellence. Jim Plunkett, Mark Rypien and Phil Simms were not amazing NFL players who won more Super Bowls than Peyton Manning ever has, and there are average players today who will continue that tradition. Joe Flacco is above average and played a tremendous role in the Ravens’ championship, but through the course of the season his stats — 59.7 percent completions, 3,817 yards, 22 TD and 10 INT — more closely resembled those of Carson Palmer than Rodgers. Flacco is obviously much better than Palmer, and credit to him for playing virtually perfect football in the playoffs, but next season he will probably return to his regular season form and resume throwing picks like everyone else. Going into 2013-14, I would say Flacco is the seventh-best quarterback option in the NFL: Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Peyton are obviously at the top, while Kaepernick and RGIII roll ahead of him based on potential.
BM: Joe Flacco is a very good quarterback, good enough that I’d say you could build a team around him. He is not, however, elite. I say this considering an elite quarterback to be among the top-five in the league. To me, Flacco is more of a top-10 guy. He’s been consistent over his first five years, and his career numbers so far are more than respectable (102 TD, 56 INT, 86.3 passer rating). He isn’t, however, outshining enough of the league to be elite. He was 15th in the league in passing touchdowns this year. There is something to be said for leading your team to the Super Bowl, which Flacco to some degree did (11 TD to 0 INT is nothing to scoff at), but I just don’t think that’s enough to call him elite. He is only 28 though, and there’s certainly a chance that he could raise his game to an elite level in the future.
Peter takes 3 points for comparing Flacco’s stats to historical elite quarterbacks and by acknowledging that nobody knows what “elite” actually means. Chris gets 2 points for mentioning Flacco’s impeccable postseason performance. Brendan gets 1 point with solid analysis about Flacco’s consistency throughout his career.
2. Since the loss of Dwight Howard, the LA Lakers have been playing well and are now only a few games out of a playoff birth. Will the Lakers make the playoffs, and what will they need to do to have a long playoff run?
CM: The Lakers have won six of their past seven games as of writing this, and are only a few games out of a playoff spot. This has come with Kobe Bryant averaging 17 points and nine assists in that stretch. Because the Lakers are a very smart organization, I think they’ve realized that they can win without having the ball in Kobe’s hands the whole time, and I think they will make the playoffs. There’s a ton of talent on this team, even without Howard, and Utah, Houston and Portland, all teams ahead of L A, are not postseason locks. By getting more good looks for Steve Nash as well as uncovering hidden gem Earl Clark, the Lakers should make the playoffs. The key to them having a deep run is staying healthy. They were a preseason favorite, so if they get hot down the stretch and sneak into the playoffs, it will show they’ve developed the chemistry that has eluded them all season and are playing at the high level they should play at. When playing young teams like the Clippers and Thunder, they will need a healthy Howard and a healthy everyone else because of their thin bench.
PF: The only way the Lakers could make a long playoff run is by not scampering into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, since L A would not be able to manage going out without a whimper against the Thunder. Their old injury prone roster is not helping. With Pau Gasol out indefinitely, Dwight struggling through back problems, and Kobe playing with an elbow injury of his own, I don’t see any reason we should expect the Lakers to make the playoffs. If the current eight playoff teams continued winning at the same pace they have been all season, grabbing the final seed would require LA to have at least 43 wins and maintain a 70 percent win percentage until the end of the season. The team might have been able to win a dozen or more games in spite of Mike D’Antoni’s system, which doesn’t fit the personnel, if the personnel itself was as good as advertised. Big, young teams will be able to rough them up and the lack of any consistent presence at center means the Lakers have an early offseason waiting for them.
BM: It seems like the Lakers will be able to overcome an incredibly lackluster first half, one in which they added the best big man in the league and seemingly got worse. I think the amount of pure talent on this team will lead them to close the gap and take one of the lower seeds in the Western Conference. Kobe is still a great player and if he keeps up the level of play he has had this year, it won’t take that large of a contribution from the rest of this team to sneak into the playoffs. Once they get there, however, they will likely be put down in four or five games. If the Lakers make the playoffs, chances are they will face the Spurs or the Thunder. I don’t see how, absent Kobe and Howard gaining some epic form of chemistry, they can present a real challenge to either of these well-rounded teams.
Chris gets 3 points for discussing the depth of LA’s roster and mentioning the talent is still on this team even without Gasol. Peter gets 2 points for good analysis on the realistic chances of the team if they do find a way to make the playoffs. Brendan gets 1 point for discussing Kobe’s greatness and his lack of team chemistry with Howard.
3. With pitchers and catchers beginning to report to training camp, baseball season is right around the corner. Who is your favorite to win this year’s World Series and which team will surprise baseball fans the most?
CM: The team I like is the team that has made the most noise lately — the Atlanta Braves. The Braves were only a few games behind the Washington Nationals last year, the best team in the NL, and they’ve made some big moves in the offseason. By acquiring both B.J. and Justin Upton, they’ve put together an outfield with Jason Heyward that has the potential to score a lot of runs. And with Tim Hudson and Kris Medlen, the staff potentially has two aces, as well as a shutdown closer in Craig Kimbrel to go with a solid bullpen. As far as surprises go, I think the Oakland Athletics will be the surprise again. Not because they’ll be good, that’s expected, but because they will repeat as AL West champs. Their team is so young, but now has postseason experiences under their belts. All five of their starters had an ERA of less than 4.00 last year and Josh Reddick has blossomed into a complete haircut. Oakland will surprise people with their ability to sustain success and not be a one-year wonder.
PF: As The Signal’s baseball expert, I can say with total confidence that the Yankees will shock the world with a third-place finish in the AL East. Injury concerns to solid contributors (Rivera, Pettite and Jeter), the regression of once-great players (Teixeira and Granderson), the A-Rod sideshow and the incredible quality pervading the division make me think some combination of Tampa Bay, Toronto and Baltimore will knock the Yankees off their pedestal. The Rays are getting Longoria back, Toronto has potential to duplicate Washington’s 18-game improvement from 2011-2012 thanks to their massive Miami trade, and Baltimore’s young lineup will stay healthy and consistent like it managed to last year. I think the World Series favorite is Washington, though, which won 98 games last year on the strength of a first-place pitching staff despite shutting down Stephen Strasburg. Reintroducing him to a rotation that already includes Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Dan Haren and Ross Detwiler — not to mention a superior corps of relievers that now includes Rafael Sorano — and it doesn’t even seem fair.
BM: The World Series is going to come down to the Nationals and the Angels. The Nats are the most balanced team in the bigs — the weakest part of their game is their offense, and it might be one of the top-five in baseball. They have three great starters, and two good ones. Throw in a deep bullpen and it’s going to be hard for this team to miss the playoffs, even if they suffer multiple injuries again. Once they’re there, their staff will carry them through, and they’ll find themselves in the World Series. In the American League, this is the Angels’ time. They have spent all of their chips on players who are going to really pay off this year. Put Pujols and Hamilton behind Trout, leave the starting pitching to Weaver and Wilson, and let their bullpen close it out. The Nats will beat the Angels in the World Series and I think the Yankees will surprise everyone the most. They have great players, but they have too many holes to overcome all four of the competitive teams in the AL East. At least two of them will finish ahead of the Yanks, and for the second time in 19 years, they will miss October.
Brendan gets 3 points for analyzing how powerful the Angels’ lineup will be and analyzing Washington’s pitching staff. Chris gets 2 points for mentioning Atlanta’s acquisitions this offseason. Peter gets 1 point for discussing the aging Yankees roster and the soundness of the Washington rotation.
Chris wins Around the Dorm, 7-6-5
(02/05/13 5:00pm)
In this week’s matchup of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Greg Oriolo, challenges staff writer Kevin Lee, correspondent Alec Zucker and news assistant Julie Kayzerman to answer questions about life without Rajon Rondo for the Celtics, the PED debate in baseball, and which NHL team has been the most impressive so far.
1. With Rajon Rondo out for the season with a torn ACL, what possible trades could the Celtics make to improve their roster, and will they ultimately make the playoffs?
KL: Rondo is a point guard that you can build around, making the possibility of bringing in another point guard of his value (such as Brandon Jennings) pointless. Because we are talking about hypotheticals, I think a trade that would make sense for both teams is the Kings trading Tyreke Evans to the Celtics. The Kings don’t see Evans as part of their long-term future, and Evans would benefit from a change in scenery. Evans has experience running the point and can comfortably slide back to the two when Rondo returns. He would also fit nicely into the Celtics’ rotation because of his youth and athleticism, which the current lineup is lacking. Evans’s contract also gives the Celtics some flexibility, should Evans not be a good match this season. Evans is on the books for a salary at $5.3 million this season and at just under $7 million as a qualifying offer in the 2013-14 season.
AZ: The Boston Celtics currently hold the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, but after the season-ending injury of star point guard Rajon Rondo, the Celtics may need to make a few trades to remain in the playoff hunt. Coach Doc Rivers is optimistic about his team’s chances, claiming, “We’re not going anywhere. I still like our team.” Given the state of their roster, it will be even more challenging for the Celtics to replace a guy that averaged 11 assists and 14 points this year. Aging star Kevin Garnett has a no-trade clause, Paul Pierce has been a Celtic his entire career, and the Celtics would eat much of his salary if traded. And the only other players of significant value, Avery Bradley and now-injured Jared Sullinger, are the bright stars of Boston’s future. The Celtics need to decide if they want to win this year, or in the future. If they choose to trade their younger pieces, I’d go after Kyle Lowry or Tyreke Evans. However, if I were Boston, I’d stand pat for the rest of this season, because any acquisition this year will still not be enough to beat Miami in the Eastern Conference.
JK: With Rajon Rondo out for the season with a torn ACL, the Celtics are definitely going to suffer a setback. Although Paul Pierce has been having a consistent season and has been performing well for the Celtics, he is getting older and might be a good player to trade in order to bring in young, talented players to spark up the team. It could be a good time for the Celtics to rebuild their team instead of relying on individual superstars, like Rondo, to get them to the playoffs. In addition, Kevin Garnett is also getting older, and as a result, his minutes have been limited. Despite Rondo’s injury, the Celtics still have a solid chance to make the playoffs if Pierce and Garnett can step up and use their veteran experience to lead their team to success. However, it will be a significant struggle for the Celtics to get far in the playoffs without Rondo as their point guard. In addition, any other injuries will be extremely negative for the team after losing Rondo and Ray Allen during the offseason, unless they are able to make trades that provide them with young players.
Kevin gets 3 points for his in-depth analysis of Tyreke Evans, Alec gets 2 points for analyzing the possibilities of trading younger players, and Julie gets 1 point for considering trading older assets.
2. In light of another report regarding PEDs in baseball, do you feel that players who have been proven to use physical enhancements should make the Hall of Fame?
KL: Baseball is a game of eras that is constantly changing. In the early 1900s, baseball experienced a deadball era where the mound was closer and raised. We interpret these statistics in that context. In the 1990s to early 2000s, baseball experienced a steroid era where the majority of players were using PEDs. In regards to this era, we should be interpreting statistics in this context as well. Further, there is so much gray area of who used what and when. For all we know, Bonds was facing pitchers who were juiced up on PEDs as well. That’s what the era was. It’s impossible for the Hall of Fame to play PED police and stop all the cheaters when there is so much uncertainty. Ethically, players did not know which substances were banned and which ones weren’t. The MLB did a terrible job of defining strict drug policies. Simply buying something from GNC nowadays would ring up positive on a drug test. It wasn’t like that back then, and it’s unfair to punish these players for the era they lived in.
AZ: There is no question in my mind that talented players like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez, who were proven to enhance their already superior talents through PEDs, should make the Hall of Fame. This is not a black and white issue. There is a significant amount of nuance that many sports fans fail to recognize. Some of these players in question, like Rodriguez and Clemens, had Hall of Fame numbers even before there were suspicions of illegal drug use, though some, like Melky Cabrera or Gio Gonzalez, did not. Furthermore, it is difficult to decipher if these newly prohibited actions were the norm in clubhouses a decade ago. Even if a player was proven to have used PEDs, some players used different PEDs for various reasons and for incomparable lengths of time. How do we differentiate between a player who used steroids briefly to recover from an injury, from another who used them for years on end? Looking to the future, the writers, who hold the keys to the Hall of Fame, must review each candidate individually and review their entire career holistically, instead of immediately writing them off due to PED use.
JK: The use of PEDs in the MLB has been a consistent problem and has sparked much controversy over the years with players like Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. PEDs are not only a violation of the rules, but have given way to several disingenuous performances in the sport that America has prided itself in being the national pastime, discrediting the sport for genuine athletes and fans. Therefore, players that have been proven to use PEDs should not be allowed in the Hall of Fame in order to preserve the credibility of the sport and its reputation as the national pastime. In addition, being the national pastime in America means that children grow up to love the sport and look up to the players. Having disingenuous role models growing up can negatively affect children’s perspectives of the world. Children need to grow up with positive role models to have goals to strive toward in life. However, placing disingenuous athletes in the Hall of Fame sends the message to impressionable young children that PEDs are okay to use and that cheating in life is okay since you can use them and be rewarded.
Julie gets 3 for bringing up how the game’s future and children are influenced by PEDs, Alec gets 2 for saying that PEDs may have been the norm in clubhouses, and Kevin gets 1 for saying players may have not have known certain supplements contained illegal drugs.
3. With the NHL now in full swing, which team has impressed you the most thus far this season and why?
KL: The San Jose Sharks have transcended most people’s expectations coming into this season. Just the seventh seed last season in the West, the Sharks look to be one of the elite teams this season. The Sharks are off to a blistering 5-0 start with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau leading the team. Thornton and Marleau are on pace for 124.8 points in a mere 48 games. The Sharks have received outstanding play from their entire team, ranking second in the NHL in both goals per game and goals for. The Sharks have impressed me with their ability to improve on both ends of the puck.
AZ: Even after the lockout cut the NHL season short, it’s still too early to make conclusive judgments about how teams will perform. Some teams, however, look much more impressive than others — especially the Boston Bruins. As we all know, this team won the Stanley Cup in 2011 because of stingy defense and solid goaltending from Tim Thomas. This year, Thomas decided to take the year off for personal reasons, and many analysts predicted Boston to struggle early this year. They were dead wrong. Boston has won five of its first seven games and currently sits atop the Eastern Conference. The team is led by Captain Zdeno Chara, who is arguably the best defenseman in hockey. Offensively, Boston has gotten contributions from everyone on the depth chart, showing how deep their team is. With Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton and Patrice Bergeron, this team knows how to score. In goal, Tuukka Rask (yes, that’s his name), is off to very consistent start. Rask has a 2.44 GAA and a .910 save percentage, and if he continues to play this well, Boston will easily be a favorite to hoist the Cup once again.
JK: The New York Rangers have impressed me thus far in the NHL season, specifically with their continued improvement with team chemistry. Although Ryan Callahan’s recent injury is a severe setback for the team, as they lost arguably their most aggressive and hardest working player on the ice, Carl Hagelin, Brian Boyle and others have certainly stepped up their game. In addition, their penalty kill is proving to be a strong force with a penalty kill percentage of 80.6 and several offensive opportunities and breakaways. Also, their defensive lines have continued to impress me against teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs with solid backchecking and consistent aggressiveness. Of course, having the King in net has certainly proven to be a significant asset to the team, as he recently saved three close shots in a row against the Flyers on Jan. 29 and made 26 saves to help the Rangers go home with a 5-2 win. Although they had a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins this past Thursday, the team is young and led by strong veterans such as Marion Gaborik, Brad Richards and Rick Nash, providing the team with an incredible amount of potential and chemistry throughout the upcoming season.
Alec gets 3 points for his analysis of the Bruins in all three phases, Kevin gets 2 points for how San Jose has outplayed expectations, and Julie gets 1 for stating that the Rangers are developing strong chemistry.
Alec wins Around the Dorms 7-6-5.
(01/29/13 5:00pm)
In this week’s matchup of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Joe Caputo, challenges staff writers Mike Pietroforte and Andrew Grossman and coresspondent Greg Oriolo to answer questions about which Harbaugh will be victorious in the Super Bowl, which basketball team is the NBA’s best in New York, and who gets the end of the year hardware for the NFL.
1. The Harbaugh brothers are the first brother duo to ever coach against each other in a Super Bowl. Which is the better coach and will that better coach be crowned the Super Bowl XLVII Champion?
MP: My pick to win the Super Bowl is the Baltimore Ravens. What sets them apart from the Niners is the experience of Joe Flacco. Both teams have elite defenses, but I think Baltimore’s defense will be able to take advantage of the inexperienced Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick has proven himself so far in this postseason, but I don’t believe the defenses of the Falcons and Packers compare to the rejuvenated Raven defense — one that has given up an average of 19.0 points per game against the intimidating offenses of Denver, Indianapolis and New England. What stands out the most is that they held the Patriots to only 13 points in the AFC Championship. Something that always decides big games like this are turnovers, and I expect Colin Kaepernick to have more of them than Joe Flacco. Look for ballhawk Ed Reed to be a large factor in this final game.
AG: In a competition between brothers, the younger Harbaugh will take the title. Jim may have less NFL coaching experience, but that will hardly matter Sunday. He has won enough big games in the NFL to know what to expect for the season’s final matchup. Prior to taking over the 49er’s organization, they had not had a winning season in eight years. During his two years in San Francisco, Jim not only won the NFC West, but he also led his team to the conference championship twice. As for John, he too has had a successful career as a head coach, but unlike his younger brother, he inherited a competitive football team from the start. That being said, San Francisco has a much more complete team and is statistically ranked in the top five for defense and rushing. It will not be easy, but the 49ers should prevail, adding to the organization’s Super Bowl legacy.
GO: Both Jim and John are great NFL coaches. In a combined seven seasons, these brother as head coaches have been in the playoffs seven times, two for Jim and five in a row for John, which is unbelievable. To pick a better coach is very tough, but for two reasons I believe Jim is the superior. First, he is a better emotional leader. He is a players’ coach and has taken a skilled team that struggled before his arrival to 24 total wins in the last two years. Next, in starting Colin Kaepernick, he’s taken a risk that John wouldn’t take, which propelled the 49ers to a new level. In the end, it’s the players that play the game. I feel that the game will come down to Kaepernick. Joe Flacco has proved that he can play in big games over the last two postseasons, so I expect him to have a “good” game. Kaepernick has much less experience and could be due for a bad game. The 49ers will win if he plays well, which I think he will.
Greg gets 3 points for talking about Jim Harbaugh’s decision to switch to Colin Kaepernick. Andrew gets 2 points for pointing out that John Harbaugh’s team was better when he inherited it. Mike gets 1 point for mentioning Flacco’s experience, but he never mentioned a Harbaugh.
2. The Nets and Knicks just completed their season series against each other, splitting their four games 2-2. Which is the better team and does either have a chance to take down the Heat in the Eastern Conference?
MP: I actually think both teams match up well against the Heat. I like the Nets against the Heat because, while they do have skilled scorers in Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez, they also have some guys that get seriously active on the boards with Reggie Evans and Kris Humphries. I think one of the ways a team can get the better of the smaller, running Heat is to dominate them on the glass. However, in each of their two meetings with the Heat, they’ve lost big. I like the Knicks because they have plenty of depth in terms of talent. In both games that the Knicks have played the Heat this year, they’ve beaten them by 20 points. Looking at their performances this year, I think the Knicks have a better shot against the Heat. I also think that they are the better team because they have so much depth. Between Kidd, Melo, Chandler, Amare and Felton, the Knicks just come with a taste of everything. They bring experience, offense, defense and star power to the table and I think they’d be a very scary matchup in the postseason.
AG: Although the Nets have had a great season compared to previous years, the Knicks are still the best team in New York, with Carmelo Anthony playing at an MVP level right now. They pride themselves on having a deep bench and, as Amar’e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton get healthy, they are destined to make a run. That is not including their dominant big man in the middle in Tyson Chandler. The Knicks have made the playoffs the past two years and have much more experience than the young Nets team. That being said, if the season were to end now and a matchup between the Heat and Knicks would occur, the defending champions are definitely favored. There is a slight possibility New York could get the upset because the champs are struggling as of late and the Knicks have definitely shown that they are a force in the Eastern Conference. In today’s game, it is all about the star players and the Heat definitely have the edge in this category as Lebron, Wade and Bosh trump the trio of Carmelo, Stoudemire and Chandler.
GO: Both teams are fighting for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and, in my opinion, the Nets are the better team and have a better chance at beating the Heat. They are more balanced in every aspect of the game. Offensively, they have an elite PG that can score/create in Deron, the most skilled offensive center in the NBA in Lopez who is fourth in PER, a sharpshooter in Joe Johnson and a great scoring bench. The Knicks are much more dependent on Melo, and one player cannot carry a team to the title, especially if they have to play Lebron. Also, the Heat don’t match up well defensively with the Nets. No one can stop Deron, and Brook will give Bosh trouble. Defensively, the Nets are the third best team in the East, allowing just over 94 points per game, and are a better rebounding team than the Knicks. Even though I don’t think either team matches up well against the Heat here, Lopez has more blocks than Chandler, Gerald Wallace can contain Lebron better than any Knick, and their team D will last better over seven games.
Greg gets 3 points for mentioning the lack of defenders for Deron and Brook. Mike gets 2 points for saying that rebounding could be key to beating the Heat. Andrew gets 1 point for pointing out the Knicks’ experience, though I wouldn’t call the Nets young.
3. The NFL Awards will come out during Super Bowl week. Who is your NFL MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year?
MP: NFL MVP comes down to either Peyton Manning or Adrian Peterson. The Broncos were a team that had success last year with a great defense and Tebow at the helm. While Peyton brought them over the top, the Vikings offense works only when Peterson works, and he dragged that team to the playoffs while threatening the single-season rushing record. Defensive Player of the Year has to be unanimous. J. J. Watt has been an absolute force this year. Even after the Texans lost Brian Cushing early on in the year, Watt kept the defense ticking. Coach of the Year goes to Jim Harbaugh. Big time coaches make big time decisions, and switching from Smith to Kaepernick has paid off. The Rookie of the Year competition this year might be the best the NFL has ever seen between Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. I think Luck’s 18 interceptions this year take him out of the running. The passing statistics between Wilson and RGIII are nearly identical (Wilson threw a few more TD’s, but he also threw a few more INT’s), but if you look into rushing, you’ll see that the dual threat of RGIII was a little more effective than that of Russell Wilson, rushing for 300 more yards and three more TD’s than Wilson.
AG: Adrian “All Day” Peterson may have been nine yards from breaking the NFL’s rushing record, but when it comes to NFL MVP, he will not come up short. Peterson plays for a Minnesota team with an average defense and the second-worst passing offense. From a defensive standpoint, all they had to do was to stop the run, and they still could not contain Peterson. This star running back literally carried the team to a playoff berth. When it comes to Rookie of the Year, Redskin’s Robert Griffin III deserves the award over Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. Not only did he have a better quarterback rating, but RG3 had a total of 24 touchdowns to only four interceptions. Statistically, this quarterback was superior to all other rookies. On the defensive side of the ball, J.J. Watt was the best. Not only did he have 20.5 sacks, but he also deflected 16 passes, by far the most by any defensive end or linebacker. In his second year, Watt definitely has a bright future ahead of him. As for Coach of the Year, no one is more deserving of it than Bruce Arians. With no prior head coaching experience, he led the colts to a 9-3 record in place of Chuck Pagano who was battling cancer. What makes this feat even more impressive is that last year, the Colts were the worst team in the NFL with a record of 2-14.
GO: MVP will come down to either Peyton Manning or Adrian Peterson. Both had unbelievable comeback seasons, but since Denver made the playoffs last year, I think AP will win. He rushed for the second most yards in NFL history, as well as 1,000-plus yards after first contact, which is remarkable. Also, he led the Vikings with a second-year quarterback to the playoffs, whereas Manning inherited a solid team. I think Andrew Luck will win the Rookie of the Year award. He set the record for passing yards by a rookie and took a team with two wins in 2011 to the playoffs. RG3 was more efficient, but had a better supporting cast, whereas the Colts offense was dependent on multiple rookies. The consensus Defensive Player of the Year is J. J. Watt. Of the six players before him with 20.5 sacks or more, all have made the All-Pro team, and half of them won the Defensive MVP. Coach of the Year can go to anyone, but the Vikings’ Leslie Frazier has less talent to work with and took an average team as far as it can go.
Andrew gets 3 points for picking Bruce Arians as his Coach of the Year, way to think outside the box. Greg gets 2 points for pointing out Peterson’s yards after contact statistic. Mike gets 1 point for his Harbaugh pick, but he never picked an MVP.
Greg wins Around the Dorm, 8-6-4.
(01/29/13 6:46am)
(01/22/13 5:00pm)
In the first Spring 2013 matchup for Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Chris Molicki, challenges correspondent Joe Caputo and staff writers Mike Herold and Chrissy Onorato to answer questions about who are the favorites to make it to the Stanley Cup, whether or not Manti Te’o was in on the fake girlfriend hoax, and which team is currently the nation’s best in college basketball.
1. The NHL season has finally begun. Who are your favorites in each conference to make it to the Stanley Cup?
JC: With a shortened season in the NHL, it may be wise to pick teams that are bringing back the majority of their players. New acquisitions may struggle with the lack of an offseason and preparation time as we saw in the NFL a year ago. My bet to win the Western Conference is the Los Angeles Kings. Despite being the No. 8 seed last season, the Kings bring back almost the exact same squad, including one of the best goalies in the league, Jonathan Quick. They tore through the playoffs last season, and were road beasts in the process, with their only loss coming in New Jersey in the Stanley Cup Finals. Hot team, same roster and virtually no offseason, the Kings will be the team to beat in the West. In the East, I think the Pittsburgh Penguins will bounce back this year. Although they did earn the No. 4 seed last season, they were a first round exit and were mightily let down by awful goaltending by Marc-Andre Fleury, who gave up almost two more goals per game in the series than he has averaged in his career. But that could be just a string of bad games. It is very encouraging that Pittsburgh was able to post a good record with Crosby banged up for most of the year last season, and will have him back in full force. Their tough division should make them battle tested as well.
MH: In the East, I view the New Jersey Devils as the type of team that doesn’t make a lot of noise in the regular season, won’t be on a lot of contender lists for most of the year, but will know how to turn it on come playoff time, like the Spurs in the NBA or the Giants in the NFL. They made it to the Cup last season, and I think they’ll do it again, probably coming from a lower seed. In the West, I’ll go with the San Jose Sharks as something of a wild card pick. They’re a team with a bunch of aging talent (and a strong defense), and the players might view this as something of a last chance to go the distance. They also haven’t had too much turnover (especially for a lockout year), so the chemistry should be there. I think veteran teams with chemistry do the best in shortened seasons (the Mavs in ‘11), so they’re my pick.
CO: For this long anticipated 2013 NHL season, I feel like it’s going to be one to remember. For the Eastern Conference, I have to pick the Philadelphia Flyers. With Claude Giroux as the new Flyer’s captain, the team will be under expert leadership and look promising for the playoffs. And with names like Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell, the Flyers look to be very strong. As for the Western Conference, I have to pick the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have a lot of ex-Flyers, like Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, who were all crucial to Philadelphia when they were with them. Last year the Vancouver Canucks led the NHL in winning percentage, but I think the Flyers and the Kings will be at the top this season.
Joe gets 3 points for mentioning how good the Penguins were without Crosby. Mike gets 2 points for pointing out how a team with a good playoff track record has an advantage. Chrissy gets 1 point for talking about the leadership of Claude Giroux.
2. News broke that the deceased girlfriend of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o never actually existed. More facts need to surface, so the jury is up in the air about whether or not Te’o is innocent or part of the scandal. Do you think he was duped or did he do this for publicity?
JC: After witnessing how much Manti Te’o was idolized throughout the season for being an all-star player and individual, it’s hard to imagine that he could have come up with a wild story like this one. However, the facts just do not seem to add up. I find it hard to believe that he was completely duped on this story. For one, if his side of the story was true, this would mean that he had never met his girlfriend, yet was devastated upon finding out about her death. Although all deaths are devastating, especially to young individuals, how much could he have actually cared for a woman that he had never met in his life? Secondly, evidence and Te’o’s story shows that he knew he had been duped well before we (the media) found out, saying that he found out about the hoax back in December. Why didn’t he come clean about the matter then? And finally, new stories are coming out now saying that Te’o was still talking about his deceased girlfriend with ESPN after he reportedly found out about the hoax in December, when he received a call from the same number and voice that he associated with her. I understand that Te’o and Notre Dame could have possibly just been trying to save him from massive humiliation, but keeping details secret about a story that made him so famous does not seem to make sense.
MH: I think Te’o was duped, and here’s why: There was no positive outcome from this for him. He already had the whole sympathy angle and amazing story of battling through tough times thing going from his dying grandmother, which was the only possible benefit a fake dead girlfriend could have. Why risk your reputation and draft stock pulling a hoax that will only get you slightly more of what you’re already going to get? I think Te’o was duped in the same way that little girls are duped by creepy pedos online, only he didn’t have Chris Hansen to protect him. The only strange part is that the star of the Notre Dame Football team didn’t have a real girlfriend. Plus, if he was duped, you open the door for wild conspiracy theories, like Nick Saban setting up the whole thing to distract the Irish right before the title game, which would mean Saban had predicted that Notre Dame would be undefeated in the regular season, and is an evil psychic. That’s a much better story than Te’o being in on it, and makes as much sense.
CO: Pertaining to the Manti Te’o scandal, I personally would like to think he had nothing to do with this controversy. After watching him speak in various interviews, I don’t know how some people could say he was behind it. His facial expressions and tears were clearly signs that he was duped. I know that celebrities are just like ordinary people, willing to do anything to get into the public light and get their names on television. However, faking someone’s death and going through an elaborate scheme, such as the one Te’o was charged with, does not seem like something a college football player would need to do to get attention. Still, it is a strange situation all around and more information needs to come out pertaining to the death of Lennay Kekua. I personally think the media has played up this controversy like they always do and things have gotten way out of proportion. More facts need to come out before reporting is done, sparing Te’o and anyone else involved future condemnation.
Joe gets 3 points for pointing out how Te’o apparently still talked about his deceased girlfriend after finding out it was a hoax. Chrissy gets 2 points for talking about how Te’o’s emotions have seemed rather genuine. Mike gets 1 point for saying that Te’o didn’t need this publicity because he already had it after his grandmother died.
3. We’re getting closer and closer to March as college basketball is heating up. With no more undefeated teams, out of all of the one-loss teams, who do you think is the best in the nation?
JC: My Louisville Cardinals were the only team last season that I did not find any red sharpie over after the NCAA Tournament, and it would be very difficult to turn away from them now. I love teams with experience, and hate freshmen. Seeing how well Louisville played last year (probably gave Kentucky their best game) and how experienced they now are, it is going to be hard to pick against them. This team has experienced both ends of the spectrum. Virtually the same team that was ousted by No. 13 seed Morehead State two years ago, and virtually the same team that made a Final Four run last year. They know what it takes to get there and they have the talent it takes as well. Russ Smith gets my vote for National Player of the Year this year. The guy is an absolute stud, both offensively and defensively, and can score in a hurry. He’s always a threat for a fast break bucket and can outrun anyone. Put him together with one of the best point guards in the nation in Peyton Siva, and one of the best shot-blocker/rebounders in Gorgui Dieng, and you have the recipe for any National Champion in recent memory. The only slight worry I have with the Cards is their three-point shooting, but look out for Luke Hancock. After a slow start to the season, he seems to be catching fire of late, he was huge in their victory over Missouri and could provide an excellent spark off the bench for the remainder of the season.
MH: I’m going to be boring this time and pick Duke. Now, I’m not a Dukey by any stretch, but right now they look to me like the best team. They had one lousy game against N. C. State, but overall they’ve put together a very impressive season, including an important win over Louisville. They play more as a defensive team than an offensive one, typically holding their opposition to under 70 points a game (only two teams have cracked 75). The main reason I like them is because they have, almost indisputably, the best coach in college basketball right now, and at the collegiate level, the coach is a much more important factor than in the NBA. As long as Coach K is at the helm down in Durham, I think Duke is the best.
CO: With March Madness quickly approaching, it is a really tough call to say now who has the best chance to win the championship. Though no one has an undefeated record anymore, there are still many teams with only one loss. I would have to pick Louisville (15-1) as the best in the nation right now. They are ranked first in the both polls. Though they do not have the best record (other schools have a 16-1 record), they have been playing consistently and the team works well together. Players Kevin Ware, Peyton Siva and Russ Smith have led the team to their top position in the Big East Conference. Louisville has some tough games coming up going into March, but if they keep playing the way they have all season, I think they could make it to the end. Their two games with Syracuse are going to be crucial in the coming weeks.
Joe gets 3 points for saying that Louisville has all the pieces to make a national championship run. Mike gets 2 points for pointing out that Duke has Coach K and a great defense. Chrissy gets 1 point for talking about Louisville being at the top and staying there.
Joe wins Around the Dorm, 9-5-4.
(12/18/12 8:27pm)
A student, who resides off campus on Pennington Road, discovered a bullet hole in his bedroom window on Monday, Dec. 17, according to an email sent by Campus Police on Tuesday afternoon. A bullet was later found in the student's bedroom.
Ewing Police were notified about the incident and began an investigation, the campus-wide email said.
Anyone with information that may be useful to the investigation is encouraged to call Ewing Police at 609-882-1313 or Campus Police at 609-771-2345.
(12/05/12 5:00pm)
In the championship of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Greg Oriolo, challenges sports editor Chris Molicki, sports assistant Peter Fiorilla and staff writer Kevin Lee to answer questions about the most impressive teams in college basketball so far, who’s the top challenge for the Heat in the East, and who should be the NFL MVP.
1. Through the first month of the men’s NCAA basketball season, which two teams have impressed you the most and why?
CM: College basketball’s two most impressive teams so far are the Duke Blue Devils and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. As a Duke hater, I can’t deny that they’ve been great. They’ve already beaten Ohio St., Kentucky and Louisville, three of the nation’s top teams and favorites in their respective conferences. Mason Plumlee has broken out into a monster, averaging nearly 20 points and 11 rebounds per game. However, the two biggest players have been Rasheed Sulaimon and Quin Cook. Sulaimon, a freshman, is averaging 12.7 points per game, an amazing number for a rookie, while Cook’s ability to run the offense against some truly brutal defenses has been invaluable. As for Minnesota, they were a team in turmoil last year, losing seven of their final nine regular season games. Rodney Williams Jr., Andre Hollins, Austin Hollins and Joe Coleman have all made huge improvements, but senior Trevor Mbakwe has been the key. After multiple injuries and a run-in with the law earlier this fall, Mbwake vowed he would pay for his scholarship if the Gophers did not make the NCAA tournament. He has backed up his words by being a true leader in Minnesota’s 7-1 start.
PF: They aren’t the glamorous teams anyone prioritizes watching, but San Diego State and Colorado have quietly impressed this far into the season. The Aztecs opened the year with a blowout loss against Syracuse, but have since showcased their airtight defense by allowing only 53.2 points a game (12th in the NCAA as of Friday) and are picking up 44.6 rebounds per game (7th). The schedule has been so-so and San Diego State needs more efficient offensive threats like Jamaal Franklin, but defense wins elimination games and I am going to keep an eye on the Aztecs heading into March. Over in the Pac-12, the Colorado Buffaloes have won in a variety of ways — blowouts over mediocre squads and tight victories against Baylor and Texas Southern — coming off a not-so-great 2011-12 season that saw them finish 23-11 overall and get destroyed by the Baylor team they just got revenge on. The Buffaloes have not put up eye-popping statistics anywhere on the court but are solid on both ends, and with 6-plus consecutive wins right off the bat, it will be hard to ignore them going forward.
KL: Syracuse and Duke have impressed me the most. Syracuse is sixth in the nation, but what impresses me most is that they are able to do this after losing Dion Waiters, Fab Melo and Kris Joseph to last year’s NBA draft. If you thought last year’s team was good, this year’s team might be even better with different players. It just amazes me how some programs can churn out NBA players and still remain in the NCAA’s elite the next year. This year, Syracuse is that team. Duke impresses me for who they have beaten. They’ve beaten No. 3 Kentucky, No. 2 Louisville and No. 4 Ohio State to remain 6-0 at this point in the season. Coming into the season, I did not think Duke would be nearly this good. Coach K has gotten the most out of his players once again, having six players average 10 or more points. Duke has a shot to be the No. 1 one team in the nation when the rankings come out next week.
Peter gets 3 for his analysis of teams not in the national headlines. Chris gets 2 for his on-point analysis of Duke. Kevin gets 1 for pointing out how the draft really does hurt most teams, but not the Orange this year.
2. In the NBA’s Eastern Conference, which team do you feel will give the Heat the toughest time on their quest to the NBA finals?
CM: As much as it pains me to say, right now, the Brooklyn Nets, not the New York Knicks, look like the Heat’s biggest competition. I thought that the Nets would be very average this year, but I was wrong. They’ve already proven themselves with wins over the Celtics, Knicks and Clippers. Everyone said they would score a lot and play no defense, but it turns out they’ve allowed the fewest points in the NBA. And that high-powered offense? No one is averaging 20 points per game. With players like Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez, you know they’ll all be averaging over 20 by the season’s end. What’s most surprising is how well this team has come together so far. With a batch of new players, the Nets actually have a pretty decent bench with Jerry Stackhouse, Andray Blatche, Reggie Evans, C. J. Watson and MarShon Brooks. I really do like the Knicks’ chances of contending and when Amar’e returns, my answer to this question may be different, but because of age and an unsustainable start, I’m just not sure they’ll be as big of a pest to the Heat as the Nets.
PF: The only Eastern Conference squad I give a one-in-a-million chance at dethroning the Miami Heat is the Brooklyn Nets. It will take physicality and a varied offense, the kind the Nets showed while beating up on Boston and provoking Rajon Rondo into a multi-game suspension last week, to challenge a team as potentially great on defense as the Heat. There will be mismatches, but there are too many weapons on the Nets to be able to handle for an entire series. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson are the obvious threats, but Brook Lopez is on fire. In less than 30 minutes a game, Lopez has a team-high 18.5 points while shooting 53.5 percent. That’s incredibly efficient. The Celtics pushed Miami to seven games last year, but their window for a title has passed at this point, and I do not expect the Knicks to extend their early form into the postseason. For me, bringing Amar’e Stoudemire back into the fold will raise more questions than answers — will Woodson bench Stoudemire for potentially playoffs-killing defense, can the Knicks be efficient with Carmelo and Stoudemire both on the floor, and so on. If Miami is to be upset in the 2012-13 Eastern Conference playoffs, it will be by the Brooklyn Nets.
KL: The Eastern Conference is pretty weak in general, but I think the Brooklyn Nets have a shot at beating the Heat. The Nets have one of the best starting fives in the league. Many of the doubts about team chemistry coming into the season are gone. The thing I like about the Nets is that they have players who know their roles. Deron Williams and Brook Lopez are the two go-to players for offense with Joe Johnson playing a very comfortable role as the third option. Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries are great on defense and get a majority of the boards. The other team that has a shot to beat the Heat in the playoffs is the Knicks. Although Amar’e is talented, the Knicks may go through a transitional phase with his return. The Nets match up very well against the Heat.
Chris gets 3 for talking about the Nets defense and depth. Peter gets 2 for describing the Nets overall offensive ability. Kevin gets 1 for his analysis of the Nets starting five.
3. Through the three-quarters mark of the NFL season, which player do you feel deserves the MVP award?
CM: I’m sure everyone will be picking a quarterback here, but I’m going to go the uncharacteristic route. The MVP this season is Houston running back Arian Foster. The dude is money near the goal-line with all 12 of his touchdowns coming in the red zone, where he leads the league in carries. However, what I think distinguishes Foster from the other candidates is something quarterbacks do — make their teammates better. Matt Schaub is an above average quarterback at best, yet he’s been able to pass the ball very well in a passing league. Why is that? Because Schaub is the best in the NFL in play-action passing and that comes directly from Foster’s production. In reality, Foster is the force behind the running and passing attack of the NFL’s best team. The majority of quarterbacks have all put up stinkers this year, but Foster has at least 90 yards or a touchdown in every game. His only competition is Peyton Manning, but let’s face it, Tim Tebow won a playoff game for Denver last year. I think credit needs to be given to the rest of that Bronco team, and Foster as well.
PF: The NFL MVP will realistically be awarded to a passing maestro like Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers, but I would like to see a player who has sacked those two a combined 4.5 times this season get it — defensive tackle J.J. Watt of the (nearly) unstoppable Houston Texans. Watt’s stat line is impressive. As of Saturday, he leads the AFC in sacks with 14.5, is second in passes defended with 13 and has pitched in 54 tackles along with two fumble recoveries. In other words, he is easily the best defensive player on one of the best defenses around. Even when Houston has let up a lot of points, Watt has kept the team alive with big performances. During a recent two-game stretch where the Texans allowed 68 points against Jacksonville and Detroit, Watt produced four sacks and 11 tackles to allow his team to eek out close victories. A defensive player might not ever win the MVP again considering how quarterbacks’ stats balloon on a yearly basis, but Watt deserves consideration for the award thanks to his diverse defensive skill set that has the Texans in great position for a playoff run heading into December.
KL: Peyton Manning has been nothing short of spectacular in his return to the NFL at the age of 36. We know about Manning’s QB rating and touchdown passes, but Manning’s passing percentage is an absurd 67.7 percent. That’s probably higher than when Mark Sanchez throws the ball in warm-ups. He’s led a resurgent Broncos team and they basically have the division wrapped up in a bow. Manning’s numbers should only improve in the remaining four games, facing the easier part of his schedule. It’s Manning’s to lose having every credential needed for an MVP. He’s simply one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Kevin gets 3 for picking Peyton, who has the most likely shot since QBs are favored. Chris gets 2 for Foster’s overall importance to the team. Peter gets 1 for Watt who may win defensive player of the year due to his overall ability and stats.
Chris wins the Around the Dorm Championship, 7-6-5.
(11/27/12 9:00pm)
In the semifinals of the playoffs for Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Brendan McGrath, challenges sports assistant Peter Fiorilla and correspondents Joe Caputo and Greg Oriolo to answer questions about who the Jets should get rid of in their eventual firesale, where the Blue Jays stand after an already eventful offseason, and when we will get to see hockey again.
1. The Jets had the most embarrassing quarter in Thanksgiving Day game history this week. What needs to happen for this team to turnaround? Is the problem the front office, the coaching staff, the players or some combination thereof?
JC: You cannot possibly blame one part of the New York Jets for this dramatic turnaround. A mere two years ago, with the same head coach, same quarterback and same running back, they were in their second consecutive AFC Championship game, beating the Patriots in New England in the process. However, what you can say with confidence is that the new pieces they have added since those championship appearances aren’t fitting with the old ones. Not to mention this season they lost their best receiver and the league’s best corner in the span of a week. Unfortunately, the Jets are past the point where they can turn this mess around with this group of players and this coaching staff. The team needs to be gutted around a core group of players on both sides of the ball. To me, Mark Sanchez is still a capable quarterback, he just needs something around him. They must get him an offensive line and a decent receiver. Defensively, obviously Darrelle Revis is the man to build around, but they need to get their pass rush back to the form it was in back in 2009. It will be tough to do this in one offseason, but it needs to be done if they want to return to being the winning team they once were.
PF: Assuming the Jets organization can actually engineer a turnaround without getting in its own way, which it is far more likely to do, this could come to fruition by canning general manager Mike Tannenbaum. I think at this point, his sins are clear: Tannenbaum’s last great move as a general manager was drafting Darrelle Revis in 2007. Since then, he has underperformed in the draft repeatedly, surrounded a mediocre quarterback with one of the worst receiving corps in the league, allowed defensive depth to grow old or erode and been a part of creating the Tim Tebow media frenzy which ruined everyone’s summer. Rex Ryan also signed off on Tebow, but considering the roster at his disposal it’s a miracle he has guided the Jets to a 33-27 record over his four years there. Woody Johnson has to recognize the ineffectual presence of Tannenbaum, replace him with a competent manager who values the draft, and trust that a coach as savvy as Ryan will reward faith with a return to the AFC Championship — or even, eventually, the Super Bowl.
GO: As a Jets fan, I can honestly say that there is not much that can turn this team around by the end of the season. But for future years, I believe that major changes need to occur at all levels, starting with the front office. GM Mike Tannenbaum has not assembled a team that can compete. The offense that he has assembled has zero weapons, a lack of depth at the offensive line, and those two quarterbacks that can’t throw. The defense is aging and has shown how dependent they are on one player. To compete in the NFL, a team needs to have quality players at every position and the Jets don’t have that because Tannenbaum has not been smart with money and has not drafted well in recent years. Along with Tannenbaum, Rex Ryan and Tony Sparano need to step it up. If Tannenbaum can acquire a few pieces that fill holes in this team, Ryan and Sparano need to make the most of this team and maybe they can contend like they did just a few years ago.
Peter gets 3 for realizing Tannenbaum’s lack of drafting prowess. Greg gets 2 for breaking down the positional problems. Joe gets 1 for Sanchez being capable.
2. The Toronto Blue Jays are making for one of the biggest offseasons in recent memory. Will their deals so far land them in the playoffs next season or do they need more?
JC: The Toronto Blue Jays are not ready right now to contend for a deep playoff run with the roster they have assembled to this point for one reason: Pitching. Aside from Brandon Morrow, who I think is the real deal, it is difficult to make a case how the rest of the staff will be able to keep this team in games. Yes, their lineup is instantly one of the best in baseball, but you can’t win a title without pitching, as the Giants have shown in two of the last three seasons. Without even getting to how bad their bullpen is (can you even name their closer off the top of your head?), let’s take a deeper look at their 2-5 starters. Josh Johnson is listed as their No. 2, but the soon-to-be 33-year-old’s return from shoulder surgery would be classified as nothing more than average last season, and I can’t see him improving much, not to mention the injury risk. Their third starter, Mark Buehrle, struggled to keep his ERA under four in the National League last year. Now he comes to the AL East, which always seems to inflate a pitcher’s ERA. In the No. 4 and 5 slots, promising young Ricky Romero’s ERA jumped by close to three runs last season, and Philadelphia reject J.A. Happ rounds out the rotation. If they don’t do something about this staff and bullpen, Toronto looks to be in for a rather disappointing upcoming 2013 season.
PF: General manager Alex Anthopoulos should be applauded for taking advantage of the misshapen Marlins, and only a few remaining questions about the rotation prevent me from favoring them in the hyper-competitive AL East. It only takes a glance at a stats page to realize the lineup is better from top to bottom: WAR, BAA and virtually every major statistic has improved as result of the trade and signing Melky Cabrera. I still have reservations — any team that depends on injury-prone players like Josh Johnson (60 innings pitched in 2011) and Brandon Morrow (124 innings in 2012) risks vulnerability, and the last pitching spots for the Blue Jays might be occupied by dependable but mediocre players including Ricky Romero (.2 WAR last year) and J.A. Happ (-1.7 WAR).That said, if the Blue Jays get full seasons from Johnson and Morrow — as well as adequate pitching to improve the AL’s fourth-worst defense — they are guaranteed an above .500 season. Having added a slew of superior batters that offer Toronto depth, I expect the Blue Jays to win 90 games and return to the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.
GO: The Blue Jays have had a remarkable offseason creating a great deal of excitement in Toronto. A lot of people think this team may contend for the playoffs, but I feel that they still need more help. First, they need to keep Reyes, Bautista and Johnson healthy. Each player is a superstar when at 100 percent, but was forced to miss several games over the last season or two. By taking one of these guys out of the lineup or rotation, the dynamic and strength of the team changes dramatically. Next, Melky Cabrera is a huge risk. If he plays as well as he did before his suspension, he will be a stud, but the likeliness of the same production in my mind is slim. Third, in a strong offensive AL, pitching depth is very important. Behind Johnson and Buehrle, the team has Morrow, Romero and Happ. These pitchers aren’t bad, but adding one more solid starter lets one of them to go to the bullpen, which would make the pitching staff much better overall. In order to make it to the playoffs, the team needs more depth in order to take the pressure of their stars.
Joe gets 3 for going one by one through the starting staff. Greg gets 2 for addressing both health and depth. Peter gets 1 for the vulnerability of the team’s reliance on injury-prone players.
3. The NHL will not play a game before Dec. 14. When does the league play its first game this year?
JC: The NHL will not play a game in this 2012-2013 season, and once again greed becomes the issue. Personally, I cannot stand the concept of lockouts in any professional sport, because in the end the league and players both end up losing money in a canceled season. Logistically, the reason I do not believe this season will take place is because of the size of the disparity between what the players and owners want. Comparing the numbers to last year, what was once 57 percent of revenue going to the players, the owners want to bring that down to about 50 percent. This is a very drastic movement in the numbers, and the main reason why I think it will take a lot longer to settle this dispute, not to mention a very large portion of the schedule has already been canceled, including All-Star Weekend. In the end, it will be another long, uneventful season for NHL fans that can ultimately be credited to the greed of both the owners and players.
PF:We aren’t seeing NHL action until next September, at the earliest. This would be simpler if there were only philosophical differences between the sides, like we have seen in past lockouts, but both sides are speaking the same language here. This is just a matter of money: both sides want a larger pile of the cash, and neither is willing to settle for the one with slightly fewer $20 bills. In other words, the owners want to slash players’ percentage of total revenue from 57 percent to at least 50 percent, while the players feel entitled to the amount promised to them after the 2004-05 lockout (and why shouldn’t they?). The nearness of the two past lockouts have made it clear the NHL, like the NFL during this year’s referee lockout, considers itself a big boy league above the criticism of media and fans — few owners (if any) will lose sleep over killing the season. Since the players are equally as stubborn, this lockout will slowly suck the enthusiasm out of hockey fans until it’s officially canceled in late January or early February.
GO: The NHL will not begin league play for quite some time and will not start until at least late January with the possibility of the whole season being locked out. Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr have not come up with anything close to an agreement that both sides approve of. The biggest issues are the $3 billion revenue split and player contract restrictions. These were similar issues that caused the NFL lockout which lasted over 100 days, and if it took the NFL that long, there is no doubt in my mind it will take the NHL at least the same length. Plus, the NFL had to deal with over $9 billion in revenue and much more pressure to start the season on time. There is not this type of pressure with the NHL, so who knows how much time they will take. Next, the NHL already canceled its two marquis in-season events, the Winter Classic and All-Star game, which are two huge sources of revenue for the league. Doing this shows me that the NHL does not have hope and the lockout will linger for quite a long time.
Joe gets 3 for diving into ‘greedy’ numbers. Greg gets 2 for his comparison to the NFL. Peter gets 1 for the difference between this lockout and others.
(11/13/12 11:00pm)
In the first round of the playoffs for Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Mike Herold challenges staff writer Mike Pietroforte, managing editor Brendan McGrath and correspondent Greg Oriolo to answer questions about the favorites in each conference to make it to the Super Bowl, if the Lakers can rebound from a horrid start, and what is the best sports’ superstition.
1. The NFL season just passed the halfway mark. At this point in time, which two teams do you see playing in the Super Bowl, and who’s going to win it?
MP: I’m one of those firm believers that defense wins championships when it comes to football. In the NFC, there are two teams that sport absolutely stifling defenses: the Bears and the 49ers. While the 49ers have definitely stepped up their offense this year, Alex Smith just isn’t a quarterback I feel comfortable getting behind. Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall struggled at first, but really hit their stride this past week and proved that they can be a truly electric tandem when they’re clicking. The Bears are my pick from the NFC. There are three teams that stand out to me in the AFC: the Texans, Patriots and Broncos. All three teams share explosive, high-scoring offenses that manage to regularly find the end zone, but I think what separates them is their defenses. The Pats’ defense is porous, and while the Texans do have arguably the best defensive player in the league in J.J. Watt, they suffered a serious loss when the leader of their defense, Brian Cushing, went down for the year. I think the Broncos match their dominant offense with a dominant defense and they are my pick to win the Super Bowl.
BM: I think the Texans will be able to squeeze through the AFC and into the Super Bowl. They have scored the second most points in the conference while allowing the least. Andre Johnson isn’t lighting up the league quite like he used to, but he’s still a great receiver. On top of that, Arian Foster has kept up his end of it, and Schaub is having a solid season as well. Couple that with their defense and this team’s going to be able to overcome anyone who stands in their way. In the NFC, I think it comes down to the Bears and the 49ers. I like the 49ers, but I think the Bears will pull this out. Their defense comes up a little short, but is still excellent, and they just have more firepower than San Francisco. In the end, this will be a close one, but the Bears will pull it out for their first title in 25 years.
GO: At the halfway mark of the season, my Super Bowl picks barring injuries for each conference is the Texans and Bears. The reason for this is because I feel that both teams are the most complete in the league and use the same formula to win games. Offensively, both teams are capable of running and throwing the ball. The trios of Schaub-Foster-Johnson and Cutler-Forte-Marshall are two of the best in the league capable of big numbers. Dating back the last two seasons, when these teams are healthy, they have won more games than any team in the NFL. Last year, if Cutler and Schaub did not go down, these teams were legitimate contenders. Now look this year while healthy, they are at the top of their divisions. Also, having a defense that can force turnovers and provide the offense is almost essential for winning a title. Look at the past Super Bowl Winners. Each team had a defense that was able to force turnovers at a high rate. The Bears and Texans are two of the best teams at doing this, which will lead to a big matchup in the Super Bowl this year.
Mike gets 3 points for picking a team based on defense first and offense second. Greg gets 2 points for pointing out that defenses that create turnovers are vital. Brendan gets 1 point for mentioning the Texans’ point differential playing a crucial role.
2. The NBA season has barely begun and already everyone’s saying the Lakers are doomed to fail. What’s your take on when/if L.A. will get it together?
MP: Does anyone remember when LeBron James and Chris Bosh took their talents to South Beach? Did that team dominate from the get-go? No. They lost their opening game in a record-breaking broadcast on national television, and were hounded by the media when they struggled to a 9-8 record. Basketball requires much more chemistry and team flow than most other sports. It requires five players to work as a unit. These things take some time. I would expect the Lakers to come into the All-Star break somewhere around .500 in the win-loss column. They’ll have their spurts along the way, but I expect them to become increasingly better as the season continues. I think they’ll truly hit their stride three quarters of the way through the season. Once Nash, Kobe and Dwight, all among the league’s elite playmakers, figure out how to share the court, they’ll be a very scary team to run into.
BM: I think L.A. just needs time to mesh. I mean, no one actually thinks they are as bad as their record, it’s just a matter of how good they will be when they start to come together. I don’t know if firing Brown was necessary, but now they’ll have a new coach to go along with their new superstar. If Howard and Kobe get along and play well together, I find it hard to believe that they won’t be at the top of the league by the end of the season. I predict that this team will get it together soon, and that by Christmas, we’ll be talking about a strong surge they’re on. By March, they’ll be one of the top three favorites to win the championship, and in the end, they’ll have as good a shot at it as anyone. Take the team that did so well last year and replace Bynum with Howard. This team is likely a .667 winning percentage team, not the .333 team they’ve been so far.
GO: I think the Lakers will get it together, but I feel as if they really rushed things when firing Mike Brown. Early on, the team hasn’t played well because they don’t have chemistry yet. Nash has been hurt, Dwight is just getting into form after back surgery, and Kobe is frustrated. That does not equal early success. Two years ago, the Heat had a drought fairly early in the season and you didn’t see Pat Riley firing Spoelstra. It takes time for a team to gel and Mike Brown should still be there. In terms of this season, the team will contend for a title because of the talent they have. The NBA is a superstar heavy sport, and a team that has four of them on one team can cause havoc in the conference. Overall, I do not think they can get past the Thunder because they do not match-up well with the isolation offense and overall team defense of OKC. Nash can’t guard Westbrook, Kobe will have tough time with Thabo, and Perkins and Ibaka are the best defensive tandem in the post to guard Pau/Dwight. The season will end without a title for LA.
Greg gets 3 points for bringing up that injuries have played a role so far. Brendan gets 2 points for saying that a new coach isn’t the worst thing for this team. Mike gets 1 point for discussing the Heat’s problems from two years ago.
3. This election marked only the second time in franchise history that the Washington Redskins lost the game immediately before a presidential election and the incumbent won re-election. What’s the best sports superstition out there that hasn’t been recently debunked?
MP: One of the first thoughts that came to my mind was the 3-0 deficit in the playoffs. It can occur in baseball, hockey and basketball. I can vividly remember my Philadelphia Flyers coming back from a 3-0 differential to beat the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference semifinals back in 2010, and I think Yankees fans still wake up in a cold sweat from nightmares about the 2004 ALCS where the Boston Red Sox came back from being down 3-0 to overtake the Yankees in dramatic fashion. But to this day, no one in NBA history has ever come back from a three game deficit in a playoff series.
BM: I don’t really know too many superstitions, but I’d say the most successful one I can remember is the rally monkey. By my count, the rally monkey only had one major appearance, and that was in the Anaheim Angels 2002 World Series run. Now, I don’t actually think this thing had anything to do with it, but the Angels went on one hell of a run that year, and that monkey was everywhere. SportsCenter went nuts with it and the Angels probably sold a million of the stupid pieces of plush, but in the end they came up big and brought Anaheim from a 3-2 deficit back to win the series.
GO: Without a doubt I think the best sports superstition is the Madden Curse. Every year it is talked about like no other and it is remarkable to see the results during the season of the cover player. Whether or not it deals with injury or lack of production, the curse has affected almost every player who has had the honor of representing the NFL on the cover. This year, Calvin Johnson has been dealing with a knee injury and a nerve injury in his hand which he says is affecting his play. Last year, Peyton Hillis did, well, absolutely nothing. Remember what happened to Drew Brees two years ago in Seattle? He lost to a sub .500 team. Do I dare go further? 2002 Culpepper was the coverboy, next year goes down with inury. 2003 Marshall Faulk, next year career altering injury. 2004 Vick, next year broken leg. 2007 Shaun Alexander, next year broken foot! The list goes on and on that is evident a “curse” may well exist and as long as Madden has a cover athlete, the curse will always be talked about.
Greg gets 3 points for discussing the best ongoing superstition. Brendan gets 2 points for mentioning how silly some superstitions can be. Mike gets 1 point for saying that 0-3 is still an unbroken streak in the NBA.
Greg wins the first round of the Around the Dorm playoffs, 8-5-5.