Thursday, September 27, 2012

How can Yankee relievers be "fatigued" when there's 12 of them in the bullpen??

After the Yankees' loss to Minnesota the other day catcher Russell Martin agreed that "fatigue" may have been a factor in relief pitcher Boone Logan's uncorking a wild pitch that led to a run and then getting hammered by several Twins batters that resulted in the Twins taking the lead in the seventh inning. Granted, Logan has pitched in a lot of games this season (76). But there's a total of 12 guys in the bullpen due to the expanded September rosters, so are we to believe there wasn't someone else who could have gotten the job done? Another pitcher who wasn't as "fatigued?"

Manager Joe Girardi has done a good job this year and in past seasons managing the workloads of his relievers. So to blame "fatigue" on not making pitches is a bit of a stretch. Logan's hasn't pitched badly but he's never been overly tough on lefty batters, either. Sometimes managers rely too much of matchups; out of all the pitchers in the bullpen there's got to be at least one who isn't "fatigued." Come on.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

NFL Owners Get What They Deserve with Replacement Referees

I Don't Feel Bad for the Green Bay Packers….The (mostly) men who own professional sports teams are certainly a group of odd ducks. It makes one wonder how they managed to make billions of dollars in their chosen professions, before they owned a team (unless you did nothing - just inherited your money, like the late George Steinbrenner).

Here we have the illustrious National Football League, a ten billion dollar business in itself, and the Scrooge-like owners refuse to part with an additional three million dollar contribution to the referees' pension fund.

Being a game official for a sport at any level is a difficult job, and of course even experienced NFL referees make mistakes. But not as many as the replacement refs have made in only three weeks of the new season.

Why would you degrade your product like this? NFL owners are a clueless bunch. Keeping experienced referees is an important part of pro football, so the billionaires need to be a little less tight-fisted and break the piggy bank. Time to take a .025 decrease in your profit this year boys. I know it's tough but I think you can handle it.

Even Green Bay Packer fan and anti-union Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker wants to bring back the unionized officials. Hmm, I guess this is what happens when you settle for less qualified employees, eh, Scotty?

Friday, September 21, 2012

The best Offensive Guards in Minnesota Vikings history

Guards on NFL offensive lines are often overlooked but play key roles in a team's offense. They have to block quick defensive players trying to get to the quarterback on passing plays as well as move big defensive tackles out of the way on running plays. The Vikings have had some steady players at the position in franchise history.

8) Jim Hough: Played in 111 games and started 75 from 1978-86. Bud Grant said Hough should have been selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1983 season.

7) Wes Hamilton: From 1976-84 Hamilton played in 116 games, starting 92. He blocked for QB's Fran Tarkenton and Tommy Kramer and led the way for RB's Chuck Foreman and Ted Brown.

6) Charles Goodrum: Playing in 95 games and starting 72 from 1973-79, Goodrum opened holes for Foreman and protected Tarkenton during the team's dominant seasons.

5) Steve Hutchinson: Named to four Pro Bowls during his six years with the team from 2006-11, Hutchinson started all 89 games that he played in during his tenure with the Vikings.

4) David Dixon: Dixon played in 152 games during eleven seasons for the Vikings. He started 134 of those games at right guard, clearing the way for runners such as Robert Smith, Leroy Hoard, and Michael Bennett.

3) Milt Sunde: A former 20th round pick, Sunde played in 147 games at left guard and right guard, starting 106, including the team's dominant season in 1969.
2) Ed White: Selected to three Pro Bowls in his eight years with the team, White played in 122 games and started 94 at guard during the team's dominant run in the early and mid 1970's.
1) Randall McDaniel: Selected to the Pro Bowl a record 12 times in his 12 years with the Vikings, he played in 190 games, starting 188 at left guard. McDaniel was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The best Safeties in Minnesota Vikings history

A safety is the last line of defense; they cover the pass and stop the run. In the years the Minnesota Vikings have had strong defenses, they have had one or two good players at the position. Here are the best eight safeties in franchise history:

8) Darren Sharper: Named to two Pro Bowls in his four years with the team from 2005-2008, Sharper picked off 18 balls, returning 3 for scores. He broke up 38 passes, recovered three fumbles, and forced two.

7) Tommy Hannon: A hard hitter who played in 117 games and started 103 in his eight year career from the late '70's to mid '80's, Hannon ranks tenth in team history with 11 fumble recoveries. He also intercepted 15 passes and returned one for a touchdown.

6) Orlando Thomas: Fourth in team history with 65 passes defensed, in his seven year Viking career Thomas intercepted 22 passes, returning two for touchdowns. He also forced six fumbles and recovered 10 while playing in 98 games, starting 87, in the mid to late 1990's.

5) Jeff Wright: Wright was a solid player and part of the team's top defenses in the mid 1970's, playing in 83 games and starting 54. He intercepted 12 passes and recovered 9 fumbles.

4) Robert Griffith: Named to one Pro Bowl in his eight years with the team, Griffith played in 119 games, starting 88 for winning Viking teams in the mid to late 1990's. He picked off 17 passes, forced seven fumbles, recovered two, recorded 7.5 QB sacks, and is seventh in team history with 56 passes defensed.

3) Karl Kassulke: A key player on the team's outstanding defenses in the late '60's and early '70's, Kassulke played in 131 games at safety, starting 121, intercepting 19 passes. Selected to one Pro Bowl, he had 9 fumble recoveries and his 8 sacks are second among defensive backs.

2) Joey Browner: Selected to the Pro Bowl as a safety six times in his nine seasons, Browner played in 145 games, starting 117. He is fifth in forced fumbles with 18, fifth in fumble recoveries with 17, fourth in interceptions with 37, and third in passes defensed with 76. He also recorded 9.5 QB sacks, first among Viking defensive backs, and scored 4 touchdowns.

1) Paul Krause: The NFL's record holder for interceptions with 81, Krause is the Vikings leader in that category with 53 picks, returning two of those for touchdowns. He also recovered 11 fumbles, bringing back two for scores, and knocked down 54 passes. In 12 years with the team he played in 172 games, starting 146, and was selected to six Pro Bowls. Krause was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.


source for statistics: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/
http://min.scout.com/

Friday, September 14, 2012

The Yankees need to start hitting some singles

The Yankees lead the major leagues in home runs and have remained in first place in the American League's East division for most of the 2012 season, but their inability to deliver singles with runners in scoring position may come back to haunt them for the rest of the season, and in the post season - if they make it..

Derek Jeter is the only Yankee who has been consistent this year. He can hit singles, get on base and drive in runners. The problem is though, there isn't always someone in scoring position when he gets up to bat. Unfortunately the Yankees have a number of regular players with low on base percentages (see Curtis Granderson .322, Ichiro Suzuki .314, Russell Martin .313, Andruw Jones .297, and Raul Ibanez .294) which doesn't help if a team is trying to manufacture some runs.

Robinson Cano is player that can and has hit singles, but he's been somewhat inconsistent this season. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira have delivered clutch singles in their careers, but both have missed time this year because of injuries.

George Steinbrenner never really understood that giving a player a big contract meant that they would always deliver at the plate when it counts, and right about now it appears that Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't get it either, unless he was expecting something different when he put this team together.

The Yankees have a few weeks left to turn things around, so let's see if they can earn that big money they're all getting. The price of a a beer at Yankee Stadium is twelve bucks, but the Yanks have to still be playing in October if the franchise wants to collect some of that dough from their fans.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Vikings QB Ponder Shows Poise of a Veteran

The Vikings Would Not Have Won Their Season Opener Had Ponder Not Made the Plays

On Sunday Christian Ponder made the Vikings scouts and coaches look smart for selecting him in the first round of last year's NFL draft. The quarterback started the game slowly but ended with a passer rating of 105.5. Even better, he shined at the right moments.

He was cool in the game's final seconds, taking only two plays to get into field goal range for rookie kicker Blair Walsh. He rifled an accurate pass to wide receiver Devin Aromashodu for 26 yards, and then another safer, shorter pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph. Then in overtime he didn't do anything stupid. He just moved the offense, getting into field goal range again.

The offensive line blocked well for most of the game, and Adrian Peterson seemed to be close to his old form. Some of the coaches' play calling was strange during the first half, but the Vikings did seem to play better as the game went on. Viking fans are hoping Ponder will build on his success and keep the team competitive for the long NFL season.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Vikings GM Spielman Deserves Some Credit for Team's Opening Day Victory

Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman took a risk when releasing veteran kicker Ryan Longwell in favor of rookie Blair Walsh in the offseason, but it worked out well on Sunday

I haven't been a huge supporter of Spielman in the past, but a decision he made in the off season seems to have paid off on Sunday. In the spring the team released veteran kicker Ryan Longwell after selecting Georgia's Blair Walsh in the sixth round of the NFL draft in April. Finding a reliable and consistent placekicker can be difficult, so relying on an untested rookie can be a pretty big gamble.

But in the Vikings'  26-23 overtime victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Spielman's faith in the strong-legged Walsh paid off. Under pressure with the team down 23-20 with twenty seconds left to the end of the game, the rookie boomed a 55 yard field goal that had room to spare, sending the season opener into overtime. Three minutes into overtime, Walsh calmly booted a 38 yarder to win the game for the Vikings.

In the off season Spielman had to defend his decision to part ways with the veteran Longwell in favor of Walsh, as skeptics pointed to the rookie's inconsistent senior season at Georgia. But for Sunday at least, Spielman looked like a genius, especially when you throw in Walsh's three touchbacks on his six kickoffs. Minnesota fans are hoping the kicker's opening day success continues through the upcoming months.