I am a little sick of hearing the links people are making between Barry Sanders and Kevin Smith over the college rushing records and the fact that they will both play for the Lions. Barry Sanders was 1st overall; Kevin Smith was 1st overall of the 3rd round.
I wanted to wrap up the draft talk by reviewing how the Lions could have won the Super Bowl by now with a few draft adjustments.
2002 was a horrible year for QBs. David Carr, Harrington, and Patrick Ramsey were the 3 QBs taken in the first round. If they took a WR that year, such as Stallworth or Javon Walker, and lost a few more games, they would have been all set to take Carson Palmer in 03 with the first overall pick. They could've gone defense that year and had their pick of Quentin Jammer, Roy Williams (the good one), Dwight Freeny, Albert Haynesworth, Ed Reed, etc.
Their 2004 draft was good on paper - I remember being excited about Roy Williams, Kevin Jones, and Teddy Lehman. I can't fault them that Jones didn't turn out and Williams is a primadonna. 2005, however, was a complete defensive draft - they missed out on Shawne Merriman, Derrick Johnson, and a number of other defensive stars.
I heard a lot of sportswriters slam the ridiculous system of handing out draft grades - their argument was that drafts need to be evaluated 3 years after the fact. I agree, but who out there was analyzing the 2005 draft results? Ok, so I was because I am lame and spent way too much time on the draft this weekend. Dallas (DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, Marion Barber) and San Diego (Shawne Merriman, Luis Castillo, Vincent Jackson, Darren Sproles) had the best - and look at their performances now. Lions deserve an D- (Mike Williams, Shaun Cody, Stanley Wilson, Dan Orlovsky).
I'm done trying to think I am smart by evaluating things in hindsight.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Blue and Crap
I am very intrigued by the complete downfall of U-M's football program. Granted, they did win the Citrus Bowl and next season is months away, but the program is headed downhill. Case in point: a walk-on from Saline is competing for the starting QB job and has a very good chance to at least split time. He also didn't start until his senior season and didn't start much that year due to injury.
In Buckeye land, the spring game is an annual tradition; over 70,000 people bought tickets for the Scarlet and Gray game. The Blue and Gold game usually has less fanfare. This year, the game was a closed scrimmage played on the good ole' SHS field (due to construction at the Big House).
As much as I hate the Buckeyes, I have to respect what Jim Tressel has done for the program. Two National Championship games in two years? Check. 23-1 in non-National Championship games over the past two years? (thanks Illinois!) Check. Top recruiting class each year? Check. Heisman trophy winner? Check. The Big 10 is OSU and everyone else. I think I need to move out of Columbus soon before it's too late.
Now onto that Honolulu Blue...
How the Lions could have an excellent draft:
Round 1. Drafting an OT like Chris Williams or Ryan Clady - it's our biggest need
Round 2. Drafting Jonathan Stewart, RB Oregon - the knock on him is a toe injury - and Adrian Peterson had a bum leg
How the Lions will ruin their draft:
1. Drafting Rashard Mendenhall in the first round
2. Drafting Chad Henne in the second or trading up to take him in the first (the current rumor going around)
3. Drafting ANY WR before the 4th round
In Buckeye land, the spring game is an annual tradition; over 70,000 people bought tickets for the Scarlet and Gray game. The Blue and Gold game usually has less fanfare. This year, the game was a closed scrimmage played on the good ole' SHS field (due to construction at the Big House).
As much as I hate the Buckeyes, I have to respect what Jim Tressel has done for the program. Two National Championship games in two years? Check. 23-1 in non-National Championship games over the past two years? (thanks Illinois!) Check. Top recruiting class each year? Check. Heisman trophy winner? Check. The Big 10 is OSU and everyone else. I think I need to move out of Columbus soon before it's too late.
Now onto that Honolulu Blue...
How the Lions could have an excellent draft:
Round 1. Drafting an OT like Chris Williams or Ryan Clady - it's our biggest need
Round 2. Drafting Jonathan Stewart, RB Oregon - the knock on him is a toe injury - and Adrian Peterson had a bum leg
How the Lions will ruin their draft:
1. Drafting Rashard Mendenhall in the first round
2. Drafting Chad Henne in the second or trading up to take him in the first (the current rumor going around)
3. Drafting ANY WR before the 4th round
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Reality TV Corollary
I have a corollary, that everyone knows someone who has been on television. It's more like a theory, but I like the word corollary better. With all of the obscure reality TV shows and gameshows, I think we've hit that point where enough people have been on TV that each person in America, on average, knows someone who has. I'm not talking about that time-you-had-Darren-McCarty-sign-your-jersey type of knowing someone, Stacey! I'm talking about a closer connection.
Mike and I, for example, played on the tennis team with a guy who was on Wheel of Fortune. I was in the saxophone section in high school marching band (which, of course means we were best friends) with a girl who was sort of on the last Road Rules. I say sort of because they did some stupid online voting thing to see who would be on the show each week and she was sadly never picked. My corollary was strengthened today when I watched the new season of the Real World (apparently MTV does a LOT of casting in Michigan). I realized one of the guys lived in my dorm with me and was a contestant or winner on the fake Singled Out competition I organized for hall government. That means, Kevin, even if you don't know someone who has been on TV, my 3 take care of you and Stacey.
Now, if you excuse me, I have to finish my audition tape for Made... I want to be Made into Homecoming King or a dancer, because those are apparently the only two options. Tomorrow I have my interview for A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila.
Mike and I, for example, played on the tennis team with a guy who was on Wheel of Fortune. I was in the saxophone section in high school marching band (which, of course means we were best friends) with a girl who was sort of on the last Road Rules. I say sort of because they did some stupid online voting thing to see who would be on the show each week and she was sadly never picked. My corollary was strengthened today when I watched the new season of the Real World (apparently MTV does a LOT of casting in Michigan). I realized one of the guys lived in my dorm with me and was a contestant or winner on the fake Singled Out competition I organized for hall government. That means, Kevin, even if you don't know someone who has been on TV, my 3 take care of you and Stacey.
Now, if you excuse me, I have to finish my audition tape for Made... I want to be Made into Homecoming King or a dancer, because those are apparently the only two options. Tomorrow I have my interview for A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
A Few of My Favorite Things
I was talking with one of my instructors and he said his dad taught him that great experiences are much better than great possessions. As a result, he is well traveled (he lived and taught English in Japan for 2 years) and goes to a lot of sporting events. I agreed with him, but I enjoy a few of my possessions specifically because I feel like they are a part of me and represent something about me. That probably makes me sound really vain, but it's not like that so stop judging me. So here's my power ranking of my favorite things:
My Detroit Tigers hat - it has quickly overtaken my Red Sox hat as my favorite.
My new car - I used to not care about cars, but I'm proud of my car. It makes me feel grown up and successful.
My stadium picture frames - This is more of a memorabilia of some of my favorite experiences
My ties - I don't wear them because I already dress up more than anyone else in the office
My hockey gear - I really feel this represents a big change. When I was younger, I gave up on sports so quickly because I wasn't any good and grew frustrated quickly. I feel like picking up hockey now makes up for quitting in the past. Speaking of which, I am proud to say I FINALLY signed up for a hockey league. It starts in early May, so I better get back in shape.
So I don't sound too vain, here are a few of my favorite experiences in no order:
1. Surprise Eminem concert after 8-Mile
2. Spending a week doing "Castaways" in the dorms and planning it the next year
3. The first time I got drunk at my sister's place and almost blacked out (I'd be embarrassed if I knew how little alcohol that took)
4. The first vacation with Stacey in Mackinac Island (sidenote: I think it says a lot about you whether you end Mackinac with a "c" or a "w")
5. Hockey all-nighter at the Ice Cube during boy scouts... my love was born that night
6. Being at the U-M game in 01 when we won on the last second TD.
7. Singing my senior song during my last Varsity Blues show... probably the saddest moment of my life that didn't involve something tragic.
My Detroit Tigers hat - it has quickly overtaken my Red Sox hat as my favorite.
My new car - I used to not care about cars, but I'm proud of my car. It makes me feel grown up and successful.
My stadium picture frames - This is more of a memorabilia of some of my favorite experiences
My ties - I don't wear them because I already dress up more than anyone else in the office
My hockey gear - I really feel this represents a big change. When I was younger, I gave up on sports so quickly because I wasn't any good and grew frustrated quickly. I feel like picking up hockey now makes up for quitting in the past. Speaking of which, I am proud to say I FINALLY signed up for a hockey league. It starts in early May, so I better get back in shape.
So I don't sound too vain, here are a few of my favorite experiences in no order:
1. Surprise Eminem concert after 8-Mile
2. Spending a week doing "Castaways" in the dorms and planning it the next year
3. The first time I got drunk at my sister's place and almost blacked out (I'd be embarrassed if I knew how little alcohol that took)
4. The first vacation with Stacey in Mackinac Island (sidenote: I think it says a lot about you whether you end Mackinac with a "c" or a "w")
5. Hockey all-nighter at the Ice Cube during boy scouts... my love was born that night
6. Being at the U-M game in 01 when we won on the last second TD.
7. Singing my senior song during my last Varsity Blues show... probably the saddest moment of my life that didn't involve something tragic.
Friday, April 04, 2008
4 Burning Questions
Is this year's Final Four the best ever?
Yes. And it's not just because there are 4 #1 seeds. It's because three of the teams are among the top 5 programs in the country and combine for 31 National Championships. It's also because there are so many future stars playing in these games. This is a product of the NBA Draft Eligibility rule that forces players to go to college for at least a year. The quality in the NBA and the NCAA has gone up as a result. By the way, I'm changing my pick to Memphis beating UCLA. I still like UNC winning it all.
Are the Tigers done after starting 0-4?
No. I am convinced this is actually going to help them in the long run. A lot of analysts selected them to win the AL Central and many picked them to win the World Series. They have many new pieces that they are trying to fit together (Cabrera, Renteria, Jones, Clete Thomas) some position changes (Guillen to 1st, Inge filling in at 3rd and CF) and some injuries (Granderson and now Sheffield). Trust me, it's going to get worse. After their current home series against the White Sox, they are at Boston, at CWS, Minnesota, at Cleveland, and at Toronto. On April 21, I predict they will be 8-12. They will take over in the month of May.
How good will the Redwings be in the playoffs?
Mediocre. Newsflash: the NHL regular season ends this weekend. The Redwings wrapped up the President's Trophy the other night for the 4th time in 6 seasons. They have been so up and down this season (good in Oct, Dec, Jan, and Mar; average in Nov; horrible in Feb). They were 13-9 vs. the 6 worst teams in the NHL and 5-3 vs. their most likely 1st round opponent, Nashville. I think they will lose in the 2nd round.
Should the NBA change its playoff format?
Yes. When you have a team that will miss the playoffs in the West, but would rank 4th in the East, it's time to do something. What is the goal of any kind of playoff seeding? To provide the teams that performed best during the regular season a reward early in the tournament and to have the best two teams play at the end. By record, the best two teams are the Pistons and Celtics. Of course, this current format benefits the Pistons, who have easy matchups the first few rounds while the teams in the West are fighting it out.
The answer isn't realigning the conferences; they have a logical geographic division between East and West. I think the answer is throwing conferences out the window come playoff time and seeding teams like the NCAA tournament. That would allow all teams who performed better during the regular season an easier opponent in the first round. To show how significant of a difference this would make consider that if the playoffs began right now, the 52-24 Lakers would play Cleveland (42-34) rather than Houston (51-25). Besides Golden State's surprising run last year, the NBA playoffs have been pretty boring over the past few years. Mixed seeding seems more necessary and would add an interesting twist to the format.
Yes. And it's not just because there are 4 #1 seeds. It's because three of the teams are among the top 5 programs in the country and combine for 31 National Championships. It's also because there are so many future stars playing in these games. This is a product of the NBA Draft Eligibility rule that forces players to go to college for at least a year. The quality in the NBA and the NCAA has gone up as a result. By the way, I'm changing my pick to Memphis beating UCLA. I still like UNC winning it all.
Are the Tigers done after starting 0-4?
No. I am convinced this is actually going to help them in the long run. A lot of analysts selected them to win the AL Central and many picked them to win the World Series. They have many new pieces that they are trying to fit together (Cabrera, Renteria, Jones, Clete Thomas) some position changes (Guillen to 1st, Inge filling in at 3rd and CF) and some injuries (Granderson and now Sheffield). Trust me, it's going to get worse. After their current home series against the White Sox, they are at Boston, at CWS, Minnesota, at Cleveland, and at Toronto. On April 21, I predict they will be 8-12. They will take over in the month of May.
How good will the Redwings be in the playoffs?
Mediocre. Newsflash: the NHL regular season ends this weekend. The Redwings wrapped up the President's Trophy the other night for the 4th time in 6 seasons. They have been so up and down this season (good in Oct, Dec, Jan, and Mar; average in Nov; horrible in Feb). They were 13-9 vs. the 6 worst teams in the NHL and 5-3 vs. their most likely 1st round opponent, Nashville. I think they will lose in the 2nd round.
Should the NBA change its playoff format?
Yes. When you have a team that will miss the playoffs in the West, but would rank 4th in the East, it's time to do something. What is the goal of any kind of playoff seeding? To provide the teams that performed best during the regular season a reward early in the tournament and to have the best two teams play at the end. By record, the best two teams are the Pistons and Celtics. Of course, this current format benefits the Pistons, who have easy matchups the first few rounds while the teams in the West are fighting it out.
The answer isn't realigning the conferences; they have a logical geographic division between East and West. I think the answer is throwing conferences out the window come playoff time and seeding teams like the NCAA tournament. That would allow all teams who performed better during the regular season an easier opponent in the first round. To show how significant of a difference this would make consider that if the playoffs began right now, the 52-24 Lakers would play Cleveland (42-34) rather than Houston (51-25). Besides Golden State's surprising run last year, the NBA playoffs have been pretty boring over the past few years. Mixed seeding seems more necessary and would add an interesting twist to the format.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
MLB Preview
AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: LA Angels
AL Wild Card: Detroit Tigers
AL Pennant Winner: Boston Red Sox
AL Cy Young: CC Sabathia
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
NL East: NY Mets
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card: Chicago Cubs
NL Pennant Winner: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb
NL MVP: Prince Fielder
Best name that sounds like Maxim's Top 25: Evan Longoria
Best name that would make a horrible ballpark name: Kosuke Fukudome
Best Star Wars character: Jobba Chamberlain
2011 All Star Lineup: 2008 Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Worst team with the best ballpark: Pittsburgh Pirates
Who's my Tiger: Curtis Granderson
Who's my new Tiger: Edgar Renteria
World Series Champ: Red Sox
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: LA Angels
AL Wild Card: Detroit Tigers
AL Pennant Winner: Boston Red Sox
AL Cy Young: CC Sabathia
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
NL East: NY Mets
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card: Chicago Cubs
NL Pennant Winner: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb
NL MVP: Prince Fielder
Best name that sounds like Maxim's Top 25: Evan Longoria
Best name that would make a horrible ballpark name: Kosuke Fukudome
Best Star Wars character: Jobba Chamberlain
2011 All Star Lineup: 2008 Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Worst team with the best ballpark: Pittsburgh Pirates
Who's my Tiger: Curtis Granderson
Who's my new Tiger: Edgar Renteria
World Series Champ: Red Sox
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