Just for Sport

Power Rankings

Record and last week’s rank are in parentheses.

1. Dallas (3-0, 1) - This isn’t a mystery.  There are few elite teams this year, and Dallas is one of them.
2. Philadelphia (2-1, 4) - They can be competitive in any kind of game against any team.
3. Tennessee (3-0, - Are they for real?  As long as Young stays on the sideline, apparently.
4. Denver (3-0, 5) - Jay Cutler continues to impress.
5. New York Giants (3-0, 6) - Good teams survive scares from less talented teams.  The Giants are a good team.
6. Buffalo (3-0, 10) - Ditto for the Bills.  And look who they get to play this week.  A hint: They’re at #32 on this list.
7. Pittsburgh (2-1, 3) - Plenty of injuries to go around, but they are deep enough - and well-coached enough - to overcome it.
8. New England (2-1, 2) - They got killed.  They have a bye week this week and play San Francisco next.  Think it’ll happen twice in a row?
9. Green Bay (2-1, 7) - There’s no shame in losing to the best team in the league, especially when you play in the NFC North.
10. Baltimore (2-0, 16) - Big test this week against the Steelers.  Winner gets control of the division.
11. San Diego (1-2, 12) - The absence of Shawn Merriman still worries me.
12. Washington (2-1, 14) - Jason Campbell is beginning to look like a legitimate quarterback.
13. San Francisco (2-1, 19) - Who saw this coming?
14. Tampa Bay (2-1, 17) - They were saved by a bad penalty.  Still, look at what division they play in. 
15. Arizona (2-1, 9) - Ken Whisenhunt is the man.
16. Atlanta (2-1, 23) - Look, it’s not hard.  Give Michael Turner the ball and keep your defense off the field.
17. Minnesota (1-2, 21) - Adrian Peterson was limited and they actually won.  I have a bad feeling about my fantasy team now.
18. Jacksonville (1-2, 24) - They’re mediocre.  What else can you say?
19. Chicago (1-2, 15) - I know I’m beating a dead horse, but…they’re horribly inconsistent.
20. Indianapolis (1-2, 11) - Man, their run defense looks horrible. 
21. Miami (1-2, 28) - They know they won’t be able to get away with the Single Wing again next week, right?  What’s that, they’re playing the Merriman-less Chargers?  Yeah, they’ve got a shot.
22. Carolina (2-1, 13) - Look, I know they have a good record, but I just don’t believe.
23. Seattle (1-2, 29) - Signs of life?  No, just playing against the Rams.  Show me something against a team that plays in the NFL.
24. Oakland (1-2, 28) - They move up because other teams are bad, not because they’re good.
25. New Orleans (1-2, 20) - So I guess the Saints reaching the NFC Championship a couple of years ago really was an anomaly.
26. New York Jets (1-2, 26) - Wait, so Brett Favre throws a lot of interceptions?
27. Houston (0-2, 22) - Turns out it wasn’t David Carr’s fault after all.  Oops.
28. Detroit (0-3, 25) - But hey, Matt Millen is gone!
29. Cleveland (0-3, 18) - The Browns (26) have somehow scored less points than the Rams (29).
30. Cincinnati (0-3, 30) - On further review, I was way too optimistic about this team’s chances.
31. Kansas City (0-3, 32) - Name one positive thing about their season so far.  Yeah, I can’t do it either.
32. St. Louis (0-3, 31) - They already have a point spread of -87.

Predictions

Picks are winners only - no spread.  Home teams are in all caps.

Last Week: 11-5(.688),  Season: 26-21 (.553)

Atlanta over CAROLINA - Michael Turner and the Falcons will make a statement this week by beating Carolina in their house with a dominant running game.

CINCINNATI over Cleveland - Both teams are terrible, but they play in Cincinnati, so…

JACKSONVILLE over Houston - A team that pressures the quarterback well against a team that can’t protect theirs.  Advantage: Jaguars.

Denver over KANSAS CITY - This division matchup is usually pretty competitive, and I don’t think the Chiefs are going to roll over, but they still don’t have the personnel to pull this off.

San Francisco over NEW ORLEANS - I would likely pick the Saints if Colston and Shockey were healthy.  But they’re not, so I won’t.

Arizona over NEW YORK JETS - This week features two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks (Brett Favre & Kurt Warner) facing off against each other.  Don’t be fooled: This game will be more about who has the better weapons.  Kurt Warner wins.

TAMPA BAY over Green Bay - Call me crazy, but I think Aaron Rodgers will struggle this week against Gruden’s defense.

TENNESSEE over Minnesota - These teams are pretty similar - both teams like to run and both have great defenses. Tennessee is slightly more balanced, however.  Minnesota wants to throw, but doesn’t have quite the weapons that the Titans do.

San Diego over OAKLAND - On the surface, this game looks like a sure blowout, but let’s not forget that LDT is still not 100% and the Chargers had a short week.  Good thing for them they’re playing the Raiders.

Buffalo over ST LOUIS - The Bills are on the way up and the Rams are on the way down.  Easy money.

DALLAS over Washington - The Redskins need to run the ball if they’re going to have a chance.  Too bad the Cowboys have an excellent run defense.

Philadelphia over CHICAGO - The Eagles put pressure on the quarterback better than anybody.  Poor Kyle Orton.

PITTSBURGH over Baltimore - This game will be more competitive than you think, but I like the Steelers at home on Monday night.

From now on, power rankings will appear on Tuesday and predictions on Thursday, when possible.  Team Record and Last Week’s Ranking appear in parentheses.

1. Dallas (2-0, 3) - Beat a very good Philadelphia team.  The offense looks unstoppable, as long as they don’t stop themselves.
2. New England (2-0, 6) - No Brady?  Who cares?  He was just a game manager anyway.
3. Pittsburgh (2-0, 1) - They barely hung on against a team they should have trashed.  Oh, and there was the weather and something about a bum shoulder?  If Roethlisberger heals up, they stay close to the top all season.  If not…look at the division they play in.  They’ll still be here.
4. Philadelphia (1-1, 2) - Lost a heartbreaker to a division rival.  They’re still one of the teams to beat.
5. Denver (2-0, 4) - So the refs gave them the game.  Did you see Brandon Marshall?
6. New York Giants (2-0, 9) - They seem to have a never-ending supply of defensive linemen.
7. Green Bay (2-0, 11) - People are starting to believe.  So am I.
8. Tennessee (2-0, 14) - That defense is awesome.  Imagine if they still had Pacman Adam Jones.
9. Arizona (2-0, 10) - They haven’t been tested yet.  That’s not their fault, but let’s see where they stand in a few weeks.
10. Buffalo (2-0, 8.) - Looking good, so far.  Haven’t played anybody, so far.
11. Indianapolis (1-1, 20) - In the second half on Sunday they showed signs of life for the first time since they won the Super Bowl.  Sure, their offensive line has been torn to shreds and their bread-and-butter play has been shelved for now, but look at the schedule: Jacksonville comes to town next week followed by a much-needed bye.
12. San Diego (0-2, 18) - By far the best 0-2 team.  They’ve been robbed twice, but they still go in the right column in the standings.
13. Carolina (2-0, 15) - And they get Steve Smith back next week.
14. Washington (1-1, 25) - The 4th best team in the best division in the NFL.  Still not that bad.
15. Chicago (1-1, 5) - The good Bears and the bad Bears showed up on Sunday.  So which one will show up this week?
16. Baltimore (1-0, 16) - They stay in the same spot, as do the Texans.
17. Tampa Bay (1-1, 27) - Playing Cincinnati makes any team look good.
18. Cleveland (0-2, 26) - If they want to repeat last year’s success, they’ll need to start winning this week.
19. San Francisco (1-1, 23) - They showed some guts this week.
20. New Orleans (1-1, 12) - New Orleans needs to find someone who can run up the middle.
21. Minnesota (0-2, 17) - Learn how to finish drives and teams won’t come back on you.
22. Houston (0-1, 22) - At least they didn’t have to play in Milwaukee.
23. Atlanta (1-1, 7) - Quick, name more than 3 players on their defense.
24. Jacksonville (0-2, 19) - This was supposed to be their year?
25. Detroit (0-2, 21) - Calvin Johnson is a beast.  He’s on a bad team.
26. New York Jets (1-1, 13) - Mangini ran up the middle three straight times on the goal line?  He is Mangenius no more.
27. Miami (0-2, 24) - They’re not any better than last year.
28. Oakland (1-1, 31) - Poor Darren McFadden is stuck.
29. Seattle (0-2, 29) - J.T. O’Sullivan passed for 321 yards on this defense.
30. Cincinnati (0-2, 28) - Bad news: You have to play another elite defense this week.
31. St. Louis (0-2, 32) - Embarassing, but at least it was against a good team this time. 
32. Kansas City (0-2, 30) - When you lose to the #31 team by 15 points, you automatically get last place.

For one week only, the power rankings are based on record; that is to say that the Top 16 are all 1-0.

1. Pittsburgh - Looks great on both sides of the ball.  Roethlisberger is growing into a truly great quarterback.
2. Philadelphia - They looked dominant last week.  It’s hard to conceive a team that wouldn’t look dominant against the Rams.
3. Dallas - The offense was incredibly efficient - then again, since when has Cleveland had a defense?
4. Denver - Imagine how much better they’ll be with Brandon Marshall.
5. Chicago - The Bears of ‘06 are back - with a better running back.
6. New England - Matt Cassel is the new Tom Brady - overratedness to follow?
7. Atlanta - Not every week will be this easy for Matt Ryan.
8. Buffalo - Can Trent Edwards keep it up?
9. New York Giants - They are still the champs, just without the D-Line that won it for them.
10. Arizona - Better than you think.
11. Green Bay - Rodgers was moderately impressive against a good team.
12. New Orleans - Reggie Bush is finally starting to live up to a portion of his billing.  Can he keep it up?
13. New York Jets - They got lucky against the Dolphins and now we’re supposed to believe?
14. Tennessee - Did somebody say, "QB issues?"
15. Carolina - Got lucky on the final play.  They won’t be this high on the rankings next week.
16. Baltimore - There’s room for Joe Flacco to grow.
17. Minnesota - I still believe in the Vikes, but Tarvaris needs to step up.
18. San Diego - They can overcome the Merriman injury, but only if the offense is much better.
19. Jacksonville - Another team hurting from injuries.
20. Indianapolis - And another.
21. Detroit - They still need a defense.
22. Houston - Offensive line issues - still.
23. San Francisco - The Mike Martz era gets off to a rocky start…it’s the personnel, stupid.
24. Miami - They look better with Chad Pennington, but they’re not there yet.
25. Washington - Coach Zorn didn’t even have a 2-minute drill in place last week.  Um, this is the NFL?
26. Cleveland - They need to be more competitive against the league’s top teams if they’re going to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke.
27. Tampa Bay - This week’s benching of Jeff Garcia proves that Jon Gruden is evil.
28. Cincinnati - Carson Palmer is off to a terrible start.
29. Seattle - Lost to Buffalo by 24 points.  Need I say more?
30. Kansas City - Am I the only one that remembers how bad Brodie Croyle was at Alabama?
31. Oakland - I feel bad for Lane Kiffin.  Then again, who in their right mind takes this job?
32. St. Louis - Just. Bad.  The worst part is, they have the talent to be much better.

Predictions: CIN over TEN, GB over DET, NO over WAS, KC over OAK, CHI over CAR, NYG over STL, JAX over BUF, MIN over IND, SF over SEA, ATL over TB, ARI over MIA, SD over DEN, NE over NYJ, ARI over MIA, PIT over CLE, PHI over DAL

I had an NFL preview written here, but I lost it.  So frustrating.  I’m not rewriting it.  Instead, have a shortened version.  Perhaps I’ll elaborate a little more later on, but not tonight.

Week 1 Predictions: NYG over WAS, CIN over BAL, JAX over TEN, NYJ over MIA, NE over KC, NO over TB, PHI over STL, PIT over HOU, DET over ATL, SEA over BUF, ARI over SF, DAL over CLE, SD over CAR, IND over CHI, MIN over GB, DEN over OAK

Predicted Standings

The first time I did this, I included win-loss records and even had them all added up so that there was an even number of wins and losses.  Not this time.  Wild card teams get a nice little *.

AFC East

1. New England
2. New York Jets
3. Buffalo
4. Miami

AFC North

1. Pittsburgh
2. Cincinnati
3. Cleveland
4. Baltimore

AFC South

1. Indianapolis
2. Jacksonville*
3. Houston
4. Tennessee

AFC West

1. San Diego
2. Denver*
3. Oakland
4. Kansas City

NFC East

1. Dallas
2. Philadelphia*
3. New York Giants
4. Washington

NFC North

1. Minnesota
2. Green Bay*
3. Chicago
4. Detroit

NFC South

1. New Orleans
2. Tampa Bay
3. Carolina
4. Atlanta

NFC West

1. Arizona
2. Seattle
3. San Francisco
4. St. Louis

Wild Card: IND over DEN, JAX over PIT, PHI over ARI, GB over NO

Divisional Round: NE over JAX, IND over SD, MIN over PHI, DAL over GB

Championships: NE over IND, DAL over MIN

Super Bowl: DAL over NE

I started doing a power ranking on July 1 at the other blog I told you about.  It was meant to be a collaborative effort, but while we’ve talked about working together, it hasn’t happened yet.  To avoid monopolizing the space over there, I will be posting my personal power ranking here on a weekly basis.  Look for a preview of the second half sometime later this week.  Last week’s rankings are in parentheses.

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2)
2. Chicago Cubs (6)
3. Boston Red Sox (4)
4. New York Mets (20)
5. Minnesota Twins (5)
6. Chicago White Sox (3)
7. Tampa Bay Rays (1)
8. St. Louis Cardinals (7)
9. Florida Marlins (12)
10. Texas Rangers (14)
11. Milwaukee Brewers (11)
12. Philadelphia Phillies (13)
13. New York Yankees (10)
14. Oakland Athletics (8)
15. Toronto Blue Jays (15)
16. Detroit Tigers (9)
17. Cincinnati Reds (22)
18. Atlanta Braves (21)
19. Arizona Diamondbacks (16)
20. Los Angeles Dodgers (24)
21. Houston Astros (18)
22. Pittsburgh Pirates (23)
23. Cleveland Indians (25)
24. Kansas City Royals (19)
25. San Francisco Giants (26)
26. Baltimore Orioles (17)
27. Colorado Rockies (30)
28. San Diego Padres (28)
29. Seattle Mariners (29)
30. Washington Nationals (27)

A lot has been made over the last couple of days about the blockbuster trades that the Cubs and the Brewers made.  In case you haven’t been near a television in the last 24 hours, the Brewers acquired CC Sabathia, and the Cubs got Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin.  It seems only natural to compare the two trades since they happened so close together and since both teams are in the NL Central.  So let’s do that, starting with the Brewers.  Stats listed are career stats.

The Brewers got:

CC Sabathia
107-71(.601), 3.82 ERA, 1.266 WHIP, 7.45 K/9
Postseason: 1-2, 7.17 ERA
2007 Cy Young Award Winner
27 years old (turns 28 this month)
Free Agent in 2008 offseason

The Brewers gave up:

Matt LaPorta
AA - 82 Games, .291 BA, .404 OBP, 20 HR, 66 RBI
23 years old
Former #7 overall pick 

Robert Bryson
A - 3-2 (.600), 5 SV, 4.25 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 11.95 K/9
20 years old 

Taylor Green
A+ - 78 Games, .297 BA, .381 OBP, 10 HR, 50 RBI
21 years old 

Player to be named later (likely Zach Jackson)

The Cubs got:

Rich Harden
36-19(.655), 3.42 ERA, 1.244 WHIP, 8.69 K/9
Postseason: 0-2, 6.43 ERA
26 years old 

Chad Gaudin
24-23(.511), 2 SV, 4.33 ERA, 1.525 WHIP, 6.38 K/9
Postseason: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
25 years old 

The Cubs gave up:

Sean Gallagher
3-4(.429), 5.28 ERA, 1.514 WHIP,  6.63 K/9
22 years old 

Matt Murton
308 Games, .294 BA, .362 OBP, 28 HR, 104 RBI
26 years old (turns 27 in October) 

Eric Patterson
20 Games, .239 BA, .308 OBP, 1 HR, 7 RBI
25 years old 

Josh Donaldson
A - 61 Games, .223 BA, .282 OBP, 6 HR, 23 RBI
22 years old 

It seems as if the Brewers have mortgaged their future to make this one playoff run.  Manny LaPorta is considered one of the best prospects in the minors right now, and judging by the statistics, it looks as though Bryson (look at the K rate) and Green have tremendous upside.  Both Sabathia and Ben Sheets will be gone next year, and there will be little help coming from their farm system.  They had better make the playoffs this year if this trade is to be deemed a success.  If they do happen to make it, they will be formidable in a short series.  

On the other hand, the Cubs got a slightly better pitcher.  Sabathia has the better name recognition as a Cy Young winner (plus he’s been around longer), but Harden has the better statistics.  He is an injury risk, but if he stays healthy, this trade is a steal.  The Cubs not only got Harden to strengthen their rotation, which now includes Harden, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, and Rich Hill/Jason Marquis.  In addition, they got a solid reliever that will be able to contribute on a daily basis.  In exchange the only real prospect of value they gave up is Sean Gallagher, who has a bright future and has shown flashes of brilliance this year.  Despite lots of hand-wringing by columnists and talking heads, Murton in fact did get his chance in the majors, and largely failed to produce.  Billy Beane was surely attracted to his OBP, but his run production numbers are sub-par.  He will likely contribute to a nominal degree in Oakland, but he will not be missed in Chicago.  Jim Hendry was probably happy to get rid of Patterson, who is overrated because of his brother.  Only once have I ever seen a player tag at first and take second on a routine fly ball to left field, and that one time Patterson was the left fielder.  Josh Donaldson may make a serviceable catcher, but was unlikely to see time in the foreseeable future with Geovany Soto at the dish for the big club.

In short, the Cubs win.  They got the better of the two deals, though I will be afraid of the Brewers if they manage to nab a Wild Card spot.  As for the other two aces on the respective clubs, Zambrano was dominant today, while Sheets was average.  Chalk another win up to the Cubbies. 

Remember when I told you this blog was moving?  It’s happened.  I will likely hold on to this site and update it periodically, but most of my blogging efforts will be spent on the new collaborative sports blog Odd Man Rush.  In the meantime, I will be changing the cosmetics of this site as I get an opportunity.  You may notice that the banner is a mess.  That is the result of many unsuccessful tests that suddenly worked - all at once.  The end result is that the OMR site actually looks pretty good because I ironed out most of the bugs over here first.  See you there!

There is no real connection between Mark Teixeira and Texas, besides the fact that he played 4 1/2 years in Arlington.  In fact, there is probably a greater connection between Tex (I guess that’s where the familiarity comes from) and the good people of Georgia, given that he played at Georgia Tech.

But now, Atlanta fans are getting a taste of what we here in North Texas experienced before we traded him.  Malcontent, hints of wanting to play with another team, and clubhouse dissension all seem to follow this guy.  This blog wants to bring Tex to Baltimore.  Be careful what you wish for.

Rangers fans are surely planning on welcoming Tex "home" tonight when the Braves come in to play.  Before you cheer for him, remember that he undermined Ron Washington, causing clubhouse problems that still linger today.  Remember that the notorious slow starter declined to play just 2 extra minor league games before the season last year because of travel.  Remember that the Scott Boras client turned down an 8-year, $140 million contract before we traded him.

Sound a little like A-Rod?  Think about giving him the A-Rod treatment on his "homecoming."

Hank Steinbrenner, or, as he will be henceforth known on this blog, The One Who Vomits Words, apparently doesn’t understand that baseball is a game of tradition.  Concerning the Designated Hitter, or, as it will henceforth be known on this blog, Bud Selig’s First Abomination, he said the following on Monday:

"…it’s about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."

Are you kidding me?  The Designated Hitter has bastardized the game for 8/15 of Major League clubs since 1972, and now TOWVW wants to ruin it for the rest of us.  I am out of town for the week and am not even supposed to be using a computer, but look for a post coming soon concerning the DH.

One cool thing about running a blog on this site is that you can see how people get to your site.  Mostly people get here by typing in the address directly (totally cool that people actually do that, given the irregularity of the updates), but sometimes people actually link here (even cooler).  One other way, though, is by searching Google.  It’s sometimes cool to see the different searches that this blog shows up on.  Some that I see a lot are a player’s or team’s name followed by the word "overrated," which lead the searcher to the ever-popular posts about overrated players.  I mentioned Tank McNamara once, so apparently anytime someone searches for the popular comic, my site pops up, and I occasionally get visitors for that.  A lot of times people ask questions, like "When did the Texas Rangers last win a pennant?" (the answer: Never.  1 win in 3 playoff appearances does not equal a pennant.) or "What are the NFL teams in alphabetical order?"  This is the typical stuff.

Every once in a while, though, there are searches that make me laugh out loud.  There have been three recently that had that effect on me, and I wanted to share them with you:

1: Google: dallas cowboys players who refer to themselves in third person

JFS actually shows up 2nd on the results list for this one!

2: Google: baseball bigamist

Again, we’re #2. 

3: Google: donovan mcnabb super bowl vomit

#3 this time, although Google actually links to the "New Orleans Saints" category.  Who knew? 

If you’re one of the Googlers who stumbled this way, welcome, and I hope you found what you’re looking for.