After watching the Niners fall to the Saints at the hands of a wobbling field goal, I feel inclined to give my two cents regarding the contest. Twas a moral victory for the Niners, let alone for Alex Smith. Here’s why.
Alex had 23 completions and ousted Brees by 21 yards. A 275 yard night from Alex is somewhat of a rarity, he only had 2 games that beat that total last year. So what attributed to his solid performance? His offensive line stood strong, giving him more confidence in the pocket. This added second or two allowed him to make a throw from a strong stance rather than on the run or while being hit. Therefore he hit Josh Morgan, Crabtree, and big ol’ Vernon Davis in stride. More pocket time meant more evaluation time in the pocket. Alex could dump the ball off in a screen pass to Gore if need be, which totaled a good amount of his passing yards. On paper his stats don’t look excellent. Let’s not forget this is Alex Smith we’re talking about. He had a solid game. That doesn’t mean a GOOD game. He took the reins and acted like a starting QB, that’s all.
The 49ers defense on the other hand, had its ups and down. Monster Patrick Willis prevented the Saints from getting a key touchdown to lock the game up deep in the 4th quarter, but overall they had a hard time shutting down the Saints receiving backs. When the Niners go into zone coverage, they focus primarily on shutting down a deep post or wide receiver hook. They clog the middle and permit long gains or any tight end routes. And that’s exactly what they did. But don’t forget the Saints love to throw to Reggie Bush, king of the screen pass breakaway. Pierre Thomas also gets the ball thrown his way as well. With the linebackers primarily clogging the middle in zone coverage, or bull-rushing up the middle by Patrick Willis, it leaves the sides of the line of scrimmage open for the Saints backs to exploit. And that they did. Bush had a few nice catches, one resulting in a touchdown. Pierre had decent receiving yardage resulting from his 7 catches. In a game with not too many deep receiver routes, I am surprised the Niners didn’t find a way to defend this. It allowed the Saints to get an offensive edge. And in a game won by a last second field goal, that ladies and gentlemen, is all you need.
Is anyone else as excited as I am for the upcoming football season? Probably not.
In many years of watching football, I have seen game-winning catches, 100 yard runs, and gut-wrenching tackles. But never have I seen an event quite like the one about to take place on September 12th. As the Cincinnati Bengals take the field for their opening day against the New England Patriots, two of the biggest self-centered morons will suit up as tandem wide receivers and fuse their showboat behavior together to create one, ultimate, chaotic display of football. Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens unite under one roof, representing the wonderful city of Cincinnati.
Well let’s start with the obvious. Ochocinco? What idiot incorrectly names himself after the spanish number for 85? I guess Chad does. Just think how embarrassing that must be at a dinner party, “well hello Mr.Ochocinco, tell me your views on foreign trade policy”. It seems like I am the only one to realize this error, or maybe it’s just expected coming from him. Not to mention, his pregame meal. Oh you haven’t heard? Nothing like a good old quarter pounder from McDonald’s to get those muscles goin’. And let us not forget his famous comeback for any insult, god forbid anyone finds fault in him, “child please!”. That one cracks me up. Or now and again, “time to kiss the baby”, which is his equivalent to goodbye. The pure stupidity of those phrases never cease to brighten my day. They periodically run in my inner monologue and I catch myself saying them, looks like i’ve caught the Ochocinco disorder. Now lets head on over and visit with Mr.Owens. Blabber-mouth Terrell Owens, the wide out who seems incompatible with any quarterback, enters the scene to become the Bengals #2 target. I don’t quite understand why Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown gave Terrell the key to the city, when he should have received the honorary key to the toolshed. I understand, enough with the insults. But i cannot stop chuckling about this phenomenon, thus why i am so excited about this upcoming year in the NFL.
Between the two knuckleheads, Terrell and Chad have accumulated approximately $5 billion in fines over their NFL careers. Wow, let’s put that in perspective. That could feed every starving child in Africa for a year. Although these guys are the last people I would find doing charity work, you can’t help but say, you couldn’t cut back a little? Those fines range from Chad wearing a golden jacket after a big play, wearing a golden sombrero, bribing a ref $1, wearing a golden poncho, and doing endless crazy touchdown dances. Owens has done everything from pretending to take a nap, doing “the bird”, grabbing popcorn from a fan, and doing sit-ups in the endzone. Excessive celebration? Blasphemy! Not to mention each of their reality shows, taking up 4 hours of air a week. That’s more MTV time than Jersey Shore. Surprisingly enough, Chad’s is a dating show, because times have changed and it’s hard to find a girl when you only have $15 million rolling in. If you want to spend the rest of your life with that tool, have your checkbook ready. Just as a forewarning, you might have some legal issues to deal with. No wonder those jerks spend so much dough on lawyers. I can’t help but feel for the Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis; I’m not sure if he has experience with kids on his resumé, but his job title now includes babysitting. Look what he has to put up with every day (see above). I’m sure he died a little inside when he received the horrific news of the incoming player.
In second grade we had a poster on the wall with class rules, ranging from “no whining” to “no put-downs”. I wouldn’t be surprised to find one hanging around the Bengals training camp. Putting our differences aside, these guys never fail to make me smile. No matter how bad it gets, it’s still great. I might even hop on the Bengals bandwagon just to catch some of the show.
Well, it is my time to bid you all adieu, or shall I say, “time to kiss the baby”.
This years’ rookie class has been nothing less than outstanding, boasting talent unseen in baseball since possibly 2001. From commanding pitchers to power threats and speed demons, new stars have been emerging. Many fans drool at the likes of Buster Posey, Jason Heyward, or Strasburg. Although while they are receiving all the media attention, rookie Gaby Sanchez, the first baseman for the Florida Marlins, is doing it all. I mean this guy leads all rookies in doubles and hits, and is second in runs scored as well as RBI’s. He may not be your 2010 Rookie of the Year, but he has all-star potential down the line on this struggling Marlins team. Yet the real story is not necessarily the dexterous youngsters, but the older veterans snapping out of their respective trances and making their mark.
Enter Adrian Beltre, third baseman for the Boston Red Sox. At 31 years of age and into his 13th season, Beltre seemed to have fallen into murky water following 2004’s outburst (hitting 48 homers and driving in 121 of his comrades). Commencing the 2010 season, no one predicted Beltre to be among the top 5 in batting. From extra rest to extra base hits, Beltre has turned it on and become the catalyst Boston needs. The Sox, struck by injury, have taken a tumble down to 3rd in the AL east. Maybe they only look so horrible with their stats one line under those of the Yankees, but nonetheless, simply awful. With many of their stars sidelined, Beltre took on a greater role. I’m sure Terry Francona couldn’t anticipate this brilliant play, greatly exceeding his expectations. So just how remarkable has this guy been? Lemme drop some knowledge. He is #4 in the American League in hits, #9 in the AL in RBI, he is 5 doubles short of the AL leader Markakis (who hits a homer every time the earth turns around), he has the 6th most total bases in all of baseball, and the 3rd best batting average in the MLB. Not to mention among the top in homers and slugging percentage. OK, he isn’t Pujols, Votto, Cabrera, or Hamilton. He might not be selected in any MVP ballots, but the man is filling up every stat sheet and leader board. But when people talk about the best in baseball, Beltre is left behind. He obviously has the ability to produce like this, just look how he tore the cover off the ball in ‘04. One word: UNDERRATED. Look, I’m not going to lie. I wouldn’t have been surprised if this guy waved the white flag and threw in the towel this year. But it turned out i couldn’t have been more wrong. He sneaked his way onto the All-Star team, and quietly cranked out impressive stats. But there is a method to his madness.
My mother always told me patience is a virtue. It’s also a valuable hitting ability. Beltre hasn’t hit above .300 since 2004, and except for that year, his batting average has been well under .300. He is much more calm and collect at the plate this year. He stands back in the box a bit, waiting for a straighter pitch in the zone rather than hacking at anything within a 2 foot radius of the plate. Thanks to this added technique, he has seen considerable improvement in his batting, especially in pressure situations. Half of his runs batted in this year have been with 2 outs (meaning 36 rbi’s so far). So when the lagging Sox are under the impression they don’t possess a player of that charisma anymore, don’t worry, Beltre to the rescue.
Beltre’s efforts might seem meaningless considering how far the Sox fall each and every day, but you know what? Good for him. Beltre is the epitome of a comeback player. And that counts for something.
All hail year of the pitcher. This year in baseball has been filled with many surprises, everywhere from Dallas Braden’s unanticipated perfect game to Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect outing. There are 15 players with an ERA of under 2.50, while stars such as Wainwright, Price, and Ubaldo Jimenez continue to throw down quality starts. And yes, Roy Halladay might never be knocked off his high horse. But if you really take a look at the game of baseball and the mind games behind it, are the pitchers in 2010 really that good?
Baseball is a game of advantages. It is played with 9 fielders and 1 hitter during every play. So each at bat is essentially 9 vs. 1. The hitter is forced to drive the ball into gaps and alleys in-between fielders, or unfortunately for Jamie Moyer, crush a long ball. Now whether your lobbing a tennis ball or throwing a 99 mph four-seam fastball, placing the ball in the gaps is a necessary skill for hitters no matter what end of the spectrum. Most pitchers have around 4 pitches in their arsenal (unless your Tim Wakefield). Knowing already what selection they have in store before each pitch, their only worry is about whether they will throw a ball or a strike. Unluckily for hitters, not only do they have to worry about whether the pitch is a ball or a strike (sorry Pablo Sandoval) but the type of pitch as well. Why? Well if they can guess what pitch it is based on a motion from the pitcher or what the count is, they have a lot easier of a job of completing our original goal- placing the ball. So for all you math majors out there, that puts the probability of the hitter having the necessary knowledge of the pitch at around 1:8 (depending on the pitchers assortment of pitches). That means hitters automatically have a 12.5% chance of guessing right. How bout them apples. With Josh Hamilton getting a hit once every three at-bats and A-Rod homering 45 times a year, we must have some damn good hitters.
Like i said, baseball is a game of advantages. These conclusions show why batting averages are so low, mostly around .275 (a little more than a hit every four at-bats). So if obviously hitters have the disadvantage, why is it year of the pitcher? If baseball was a fair game, you would see batting averages roughly around .500. In fact, has there ever been a year of the hitter? Nope. Or at least no one has ever claimed to witness one. Every year we have dominant hitters such as A-Rod, Pujols, Prince Fielder, and many others, but do we ever title the season “hitters on top”? Never. Because on paper statistically pitchers look much better, and it will always be that way. Calling 2010 the “Year of the Pitcher” is nothing short of cliche (reminiscing the self-proclaimed title in 1968, 1975, etc…). All this mumbo-jumbo about 2010 pitchers being downright masterful might be true, but are they truly the most skilled baseball has ever seen? Or are they just the best at exploiting their advantages? Maybe why Wainwright, Halladay, and Ubaldo are so successful is because they can throw many different types of pitches hitters haven’t seen as often, and know how to mix them so as to keep the hitter guessing. Now thats something to chew on.
The “Year of the Pitcher” tune has been sung one too many times, so i will ease many fans nerves by saying every year is “Year of the Pitcher”. And until the advantages are shifted, this phrase will never be worn out. Ill leave you with one final statement: Baseball is a pitchers game, that’s how it was intended to be.
