Infield Fly...Happy Flight

Baseball postseason is here! I know I haven't posted a lot about baseball lately. I get distracted when the NFL season starts. The NFL is a little easier to follow since there are only 16 games in a season. Baseball has 162 regular season games, THEN the playoffs. So while I do love baseball, it's not as easy to follow every game like you can with the NFL. And the NFL seems to always have weekly drama, whereas in baseball, typically the height of drama is at the end of the season.

Which I can say most definitely was true this season. It was the first season where 2 wild card teams instead of 1, would be chosen from each league. How this works is that the 2 teams who win the wild card would play a one game playoff to decide who would move on to the division conference.

Why was this put in place? Well, I see several reasons. The one that MLB has consistently stated is that they wanted to give teams more incentive to win their divisions. In the past, winning the wild card didn't seem to really be all that bad. Sure, you had the play the team with the best record in the division series, but if you won the spot, you at least were ensured that you got to the division series.

With a 1 game playoff, now it's much harder for the wild card team to get there. So I do believe that MLB did accomplish their goal of giving the division winners more incentive. Most teams would prefer to not have to play in a do-or-die situation to move on in the playoffs. It's a very foreign concept for baseball, which is used to a minimum of a best of 5 series.

The second thing the added wild card spot did was make the race to the end more exciting and kept more MLB franchises engaged. In the National League alone you had the Cardinals, Dodgers, Brewers all fighting for that last wild card spot to the end. If there had only been 1 wild card team, all 3 of these teams would have been out of the race much earlier, and so would have many of their fans.

Think about it. From MLB standpoint, the 2nd wild card kept many franchises still in the race, so fans wanted to buy tickets to watch these last nail biting games. What does that mean?

MLB baseball is "cashin' out" at the end of the season by adding this 2nd wild card team. It's a matter of simple economics. First off, there are now 2 more playoff games (one in the NL and one in the AL) so they get additional revenue from those playoff games.

But it also helps increase the probability that there will be more sold out games towards the end of the season because of the simple fact that there are more teams in the race down the stretch which keeps the fans interested and wanting to go to the games. Because truth is, once your team is automatically eliminated from playoff contention, many fans lose interest (unless your Cubs fans, who expect the Cubs to not make the playoffs every season). 

So, I get the benefit of the 2nd wild card. At first, I wasn't so sure how I felt about it and about the 1 game playoff. But I liked the thought that it gave more teams a chance to compete and that finally division winners can feel like they have more of an advantage.

Wild Card Friday was yesterday, and I suppose you could say the suspense of a one game playoff definitely delivered?

The Texas Rangers lost the division title in the last days of the season to the...Moneyball Oakland Athletics. That lead to a one game playoff against the Baltimore Orioles. Both teams finished the season with 93 wins, so it wasn't going to be an easy game, most of us thought it would be close.

But it wasn't. Baltimore crushed Texas 5-1, and will now face the Yankees in the ALDS. The lesson here that Texas learned the hard way? Win your division. If Texas hadn't let that division title slip away, they'd be in the ALDS and who knows who would have won in a Baltimore-Oakland showdown. 

Then there was the Cardinals-Braves matchup in Atlanta.The Braves won 94 games, the Cardinals 88. On paper, Atlanta seemed like they had the advantage. But if there's one thing I've learned about the Cardinals in recent years is, they don't give up and never think that they don't belong there.

It was going to be a tough win on the road for them though. The Braves had their ace Medlen ready to go, who has only lost 1 game the whole season and was considered un-hittable. The Cardinals gave Kyle Lohse the start, who had a pretty stellar regular season but historically had been dreadful in the post-season. As a Cardinals fan, I had prepared myself for a nail biting stressful game.

When Lohse gave up the 2 run homerun in the 2nd? I thought "oh no, this is going to be hard to come back from." And then the Cardinals did what they always seem to do: surprise me. They came back in the 4th inning to go up 3-2, though a throwing error by Chipper Jones helped. After that, Atlanta seemed to self-destruct. The Braves had 3 throwing errors which ultimately helped the Cardinals to roll to a 6-2 lead.

Then...all hell broke lose over an extremely controversial call by the umpires after a late infield fly rule was invoked which lead to this...

And inspired this...

In short, it was a bad call by the ump, and instead of Atlanta having the bases loaded with 1 out, it was 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. 

Atlanta fans immediately started booing and throwing bottles and debris on the field after the call was made. It lead to a 19 minute delay of the game as they had to clean the field, and Atlanta's manager told the umps they were playing under protest. MLB didn't allow the protest and the game continued, and ultimately the Cardinals won the game 6-3.

MLB is saying that the umps made the right call, yada yada. They have to, they have no choice. It's not a play that can be reviewed. It's a subjective call and it was made, whether right or wrong. Unfortunately in this situation I do think it was the wrong call. However, the behavior of the Atlanta fans was completely unacceptable and immature.

Booing, okay, I get that. But throwing your beer on the field (first off, that's an expensive beer. And second, that's a waste of good beer!) is just awful. If the game had been in St. Louis and that call had been made, I would hope that St. Louis fans wouldn't do that. It doesn't accomplish anything but make you look bad as fans, and now the whole country has seen the footage.

There's no way of knowing what would have happened if the infield fly rule hadn't been in play. Maybe Kozma would have caught the ball. Maybe the Cardinals would have turned a double play from the next batter. Maybe the Braves would have hit a grand slam to take the lead. Maybe not.  

I'm thrilled that the Cardinals won and are advancing to the NLDS. I just wish it wasn't tainted by this awful call. But the reality is they won, and now we have to move on.

The Cardinals now face the Washington Nationals, and that is not going to be an easy series. But I have confidence in the Redbirds. They have something that the Nats don't have: experience. The Cards have been there, they know what it's like to be the underdogs. So I don't expect it to be an easy series. It should be fun to watch.

Go Cardinals! #12in12!

NFL Week 4 Round-Up

Sports fans, before I get to the NFL fun of week 4, I have to take a moment to state the following:

THE STL CARDINALS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!

Congratulations Bud Selig, thanks to my Cards making that last playoff slot I am officially a fan of your new wild card playoff system. Why? Because my team now has a shot at winning a 12th World Series Championship. #12in12 as Cards fans would say. To say I'm nervous about the one game playoff against the Braves would be an understatement. Do I think they can do it? Absolutely. Anything is possible.

I will try to post more baseball playoff thoughts tomorrow. For now, let's get to week 4 NFL thoughts, shall we?

The regular refs are back, and everyone is so happy!




At least, until everyone realized that the regular refs still make calls you don't like, agree with, or just plain and simple are wrong. Ah, well. It was nice while it lasted, right Ed Hochuli?

Calisportsdiva's Top 10 Afterthoughts of the Week

10. The Arizona Cardinals are 4-0 and I still can't wrap my head around this. I get that their defense is pretty solid. The whole NFC West has pretty solid defenses. But how Arizona has managed to get to 4-0 with so many questions surrounding their offense is amazing. Skleton or Kolb? So far, Kolb seems to be doing enough. I'm very interested in seeing how the game goes tomorrow night between the Rams and the Cardinals. While I do think the Cardinals are improved, I don't buy them as a playoff contender...yet. We'll see.

9. Who are the Eagles? I still struggle to figure out exactly what this team is about. On paper, they should be good. They have a lot of weapons on offense and on defense, but turnovers seem to plague this team more than any other. And yet, despite throwing a lot of interceptions, Vick still manages to find a way to win, though they are close. Philly sits at 3-1 but have yet to win a game by more than 2 points. That's cutting it awfully close.

8. Oh, there you are New England. The Pats proved why they are still the favorite to win their division by thrashing the Bills in a 52-28 beat down. The Bills looked good at the start, but once Brady got going the Pats ran away with the game. If any Pats fans were worrying...well, don't. You know they'll still win the division.

7. Minnesota keeps winning. Talk about another surprising team. Everyone had pegged the Vikings to be terrible and they keep finding ways to win. Granted, they haven't faced a super tough opponent yet though most would have expected the Lions to take this game and they looked pretty awful. Detroit may be one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL right now. I thought they would at least make a run for the playoffs, at least a wild card spot but man they do not look like the team I expected. Makes me wonder how in the world the Rams still lost that game in week 1.

6. Speaking of the Rams...one week after Golden Tate's non-catch to beat Green Bay, Seattle found themselves slapped back to reality. No replacement refs here to help you out. It wasn't a pretty game, but the Rams were able to beat Seattle proving that a) the Rams defense is good and b) the Rams are a better team than most think. The Rams are now 2-2, and while I don't think they are to the point where they are a playoff caliber team, I like how Jeff Fisher has turned this team around in one year. I had someone say to me "oh, the Rams will win 3 games this season." Well, they've already won 2 and we're heading into week 5 and I know they'll at least win one more, they play the Jets. But overall, yes I expect this team to win a lot more games. 9-7, folks. Who knows, that may be enough for a wild card spot. Stranger things have happened...

5. Speaking of the Jets...IT"S TEBOW TIME!

"Put me in coach! I'm ready to play!"

 I just don't know what to say about the Jets. They are what we thought they would be. An utter trainwreck. The 49'ers completely destroyed them (my fantasy team benefited from this so I was happy about that) and Sanchez just looked awful. But before everyone starts the "Tebow!" chants, let's just think about this for a moment. Sanchez may not be the best QB, but he's simply got nothing to work with. Santonio Holmes was his best wide out and now he's out for the season with injury. The running game is abysmal. Dustin Keller is not Gronk. The fact is, upper management has focused too much on building the Jets defense and not enough on offensive players. Put any QB in Sanchez's situation and they would struggle. Maybe Brady or Manning would make some young Jets wide out the next Wes Welker or Pierre Garcon but the fact is, most QB's would have a hard time winning with the offensive line-up the Jets currently have. So, where do the Jets go from here? I don't see Tebow starting yet but with Holmes out I think they have to consider finding more ways to get him involved with the game. Sanchez is the better QB and once you bench him...you lose him. tough situation for the Jets. Tough season period.

4. Atlanta Falcons are 4-0. And clearly a legitimate 4-0. I continue to be impressed by Atlanta. I haven't seen a Falcons team this good since the "Dirty Bird" years.

Gotta love NFL touchdown dances.

The NFC South looks to be theirs to lose. But realistically speaking, who's going to give them a run for their money? The 0-4 Saints? The "What Da' Hell Happened to Cam?" Panthers? Tampa Bay? Come on, man. Make no mistake. The Falcons are good and if they lose the NFC South it will be a HUGE upset.

3. Houston, we don't have a problem. Speaking of teams with divisions that are theirs to lose...how about the Houston Texans? Another legitimate 4-0 team who looks to be a team to watch out for. Several NFL pundits have picked Houston to make it to the Superbowl and I can see why. This team is excelling on defense, offense, special teams...the Texans are solid. Poor Tennessee just couldn't compete in fact, QB Jake Locker got knocked out of the game and that brought in...Matt Hasselback! I forgot he was still in the league. Houston will win the AFC South. Tennessee will...be looking at a top draft pick at the end of the season.

2. The Broncos are adapting to the Peyton Manning offense. It's no secret that the Broncos have had a bit of an up/down season so far, but this week's smackdown against Oakland showed a lot of what many Colts fans are used to seeing: classic Peyton Manning. As time goes on I expect to see the Denver Broncos to improve as long as Manning's healthy and the offense is able to adapt. I still think Denver wins their division and makes the playoffs. How far they go? I'm not sure I'd say Superbowl contender but you never know.

1. Tony Romo..."Oh no!" 5 interceptions for Tony Romo on Monday night, oy. The Cowboys are another team where you think they should be great, but yet they still seem to fail to meet that goal. The Cowboys aren't in as dire a situation as the Jets...at least the Cowboys have offensive weapons with Bryant, Austin and Murray but things just don't seem to be gelling the way they should. 5 interceptions is ridiculous. They did play the Bears, and their defense is certainly solid but wow, 5 picks. However the Cowboys are tied with the Skins and Giants at 2-2 so anything can happen,.

And that's the week 4 round-up. Before I forget, I realized I didn't post a Superbowl pick before the beginning of the season, but wanted to post it now. I promise I haven't been influenced by circumstances since the season started, and once you see my pick I think you'll see that.

So, my pick for Superbowl? 49'ers vs Ravens. The Harbaugh Bowl. I still think that can happen, but see some other teams that could spoil this scenario. At any rate, that was my pre-season pick.

That's all for this week on the NFL. Hope to post a baseball blog tomorrow with my thoughts going into the post-season.

NFL Week 3 Round-Up

I am a little late in getting my weekly NFL round-up blog up. Perhaps that was due to the fact that I'm still a bit stunned about how Monday night's game ended, as are many.

Last week there was a LOT of complaints about horrible officiating from the replacement refs and this week? It just got worse and worse. I really do feel bad for these replacements because it isn't their fault that they did not have time to have proper training - the NFL essentially threw them to the wolves and said "good luck!" They just simply are unable to execute the authority needed to run these games smoothly, and this week it showed and got downright ugly and nasty.

The week can best be described by this video below:

Now, there were a lot of bad calls over the weekend but the fact that a call that the replacement refs made got the entire Baltimore Ravens stadium to chant "BS" loud enough that it was heard on SNF on NBC just indicates how entirely frustrated all of the fans are. In this same game Bill Belicheck shoved one of the replacement refs after a call he didn't agree with. Can we say out of a hand?

Well, we thought the Baltimore-New England game was ridiculously out of hand and had bad officiating, but then Monday night came and this happened:

Words can not express just how baffled I was after the refs reviewed this and ruled it as a Seattle touchdown. First, off, Golden Tate pushed off, which is an automatic penalty and the game would have been over there. Second, after watching the play numerous times, it is utterly clear of the following:

1. Green Bay caught the ball

2. Golden Tate never had possession

3. It was in no way a simultaneous catch

4. The ruling should have been interception/touchback

5. Green Bay should have won this game

Of course, there was the pass interference call that lead to Green Bay's touchdown to pull ahead so it's not to say that Green Bay didn't get breaks during the game. But when a call is SO blatantly wrong it just makes your head spin. The refs should have talked with each other before making a final call. It's what the regular refs would do. But this just represented a breaking point where the NFL was going to have to do something to remedy this situation fast because it was spiraling out of control.

So, guess what? The NFL and the NFL Referees Association met today and what do you think happened? They reached an eight year agreement and the NFL refs will be back on the field tomorrow for the Thursday night game. Hallelujah!

Now, I'm sure there will be a lot of rejoicing at the news that the regular NFL refs will be on the field and they may even get a standing ovation from the fans. Will be interesting to see this weekend. However, we must remember that while the NFL refs are clearly much better qualified than the replacements, that doesn't mean they always get the calls right. So if something doesn't go your way this weekend, don't start asking for the replacements back. Even the best of the best sometimes get it wrong. But they are the best we have and they do get the calls right for the most part and of bigger importance? They will control the game. They have authority. The players, owners, and coaches will have to respect them.

Calisportsdiva's Top 10 Afterthoughts of the Week

I'm going to keep this list pretty brief this week since I think a majority of the afterthoughts are related to the whole replacement ref debacle. But there are some key highlights to point out that don't involve officiating (believe it or not).

10. Rams looked awful against the Bears. The Rams have performed well against Detroit and Washington, who at the moment appear to have rather mediocre defenses. Cue in that tough Bears D and Danny Ammendola's 15 catch game from the week before seemed like a complete enigma. The Rams really need to do something about their offensive line. Either that, or I'm in denial about Sam Bradford being able to handle the NFL.Too many sacks in this game. There were moments where I flashed back to those abysmal Marc Bulger years towards the end of his career where he just fell over and took the sack himself. Not good. And the Rams face a tough matchup this week against the Seattle D. The Bears on the other hand, got a nice little lift from the botched call during the Green Bay-Seattle game since Green Bay is in their division. 

9. Houston dominates Denver, but Peyton pulls the Broncos from behind within a shot of potentially winning the game. Unfortunately for Peyton, it was too little too late in this game. However, it was great to see Peyton lead his team from behind to within a chance. Make no mistake, Houston is GOOD. To come back and make it a close game is impressive. Houston should win the AFC South easily. Denver is going to struggle here, but they have a shot in their division. I expect to see Peyton and this team continue to grow and get better as the season progresses.

8. The Atlanta Falcons continue to dominate. I said at the beginning of the season that I expected Atlanta to win the NFC South and they are looking good so far sitting at 3-0. The San Diego Chargers didn't really give Atlanta much of a struggle - the Chargers looked awful in this game. Which again, is why I think the AFC West, much like last year, is really up for grabs and full of a bunch of .500ish teams - Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs and Raiders. Whoever ends up winning this division probably won't have a better record than 9-7. 

7. Andrew Luck had over 300 yards passing and 2 TD's in the loss to Jacksonsville but Luck kept the Colts in it until the end of the game. The Colts may not win a lot of games this season but I continue to be impressed with Luck's performance on the field and also his professional attitude. He is fun to watch!

6. The NY Giants CRUSHED Carolina in Thursday night's game. If anyone was concerned after their loss to the Cowboys in week 1? No need to worry. The Giants are still a playoff caliber team and will be in the mix at the end of the season. Carolina, on the other hand...they have some work to do.

5. 49'ers lose to...Minnesota? The Vikings are one of those teams that going into the season everyone was writing off - even their own fans! No one had super high expectations for Minny. Perhaps we sold them a bit short. Minnesota dominated the Niners in this game, though neither Smith nor Ponder has stellar numbers. Do I still think the Niners are good and will likely win the NFC West? Yes. But I was very impressed by the Vikings performance. Will be interesting to see how this team develops throughout the rest of the season.

4. 3 OT games this week that all ended...not how you would expect. Tennessee beat the Lions in an absolutely crazy game where QB Stafford had to leave the game to injury and back-up Hill threw for 2 TD passes (my fantasy football team was NOT impressed, Stafford). The Jets beat Miami after the Dolphins missed a field goal in OT and Miami's attempt to ice the kicker with a TO lead to a blocked kick followed by the game winning field goal.  Jamaal Charles and  Kansas City ran ALL over the Saints which finally led to an OT win for KC. The Saints are now 0-3. You think they miss Sean Payton? 

3. The Arizona Cardinals are 3-0, and Michael Vick is awful. It was a ROUGH day for Eagles fans. Anyone who doesn't think the NFC West consists of tough teams? Better think again. San Francisco, Seattle, Arizona, and yes, even the Rams, have tough defenses. Michael Vick learned this the hard way on Sunday as every time I looked at the game with Vick had possession of the ball he seemed to be hitting the ground. But to give credit, that Arizona defense? Fierce. Maybe the Niners aren't a shoo-in for the NFC West title after all.

2. Baltimore beats New England with a field goal at the end of the game but this game was tarnished with completely horrid officiating, which led to Patriots coach Bill Belicheck pushing a ref and the Baltimore fans chanting "BS" loudly enough after a "bad call" it was heard loud and clear on national TV. 'Nuff said.

1. Interceptouchdown. Come on, man. I still don't know how those refs could have even thought Golden Tate caught that ball and given Seattle the touchdown to win that game. This game was full of circumspect calls and who knows how it would have turned out if the regular NFL refs were running the game. But this debacle led to the NFL and the NFL Referee Association to sign a deal and guess what? No more replacement refs. Green Bay may be upset, and yes, they are now 1-2. But I expect them to bounce back and they will still be a playoff contender. Seattle...well, they'll have a tough fight against Arizona and San Francisco. We'll see.

That's all I have for this week. Now that the regular officials are back let's hope that next week's post will focus on actual football play, and not be tainted with annoyance of bad calls and overall terrible officiating.

NFL Week 2 Round-Up

One of the best things about the NFL is that there never is a dull week of football. Every week there's a new story, new hero, new controversy...and week 2 of the NFL certainly didn't disappoint.

I already posted a blog with my thoughts in regards to the replacement refs.I've heard several people compare the replacement refs to a substitute teacher. Just like when you were a kid and you tried to get away with things with the substitute teacher, coaches and  players in the NFL are treating the replacement refs the same. Trying to get away with more. Being more physical. Cortland Finnegan of the Rams says he loves it because he's a physical guy and likes that he can be more aggressive.

This to me may just be the biggest problem with the replacement refs, other than the timing of games. The lack of respect for the refs is why we're seeing players acting more chippy, pushing and shoving after plays, etc. 

Truth is, as annoyed as I was with many of the calls this weekend, the replacement refs got a lot of them right. And the regular refs don't always call the right ones. The replacement refs seem to call pass interference a little too easily and that's concerning because it's such a huge penalty.

I still think the NFL needs to work with the regular refs and see if they can work out a deal. But, in the interim, they've got to do something to help the replacements gain more authority and control over theses games. Otherwise we're going to continue to see a lot of ugly.

Calisportsdiva's Top 10 NFL Afterthoughts of the Week

10. Antonio Gates who? Out of the game with an injury? No worries. Dante Rosario's got your back. Rosario caught all 3 TD passes from Philip Rivers in the Chargers 38-10 thrashing of the Tennesse Titans. To be fair, Tennessee isn't all that solid of a team. In fact, on twitter there was a bet going on during the games on Sunday. Who would get the highest number? Chris Johnson rush yards or Danny Ammendola catches? Chris Johnson had 17 rush yards total. Ouch.

9. Eagles beat Ravens despite multiple turnovers. Philly is now 2-0, winning both games by 1 point despite a ton of turnovers. It makes you wonder just how long they can continue to turn the ball over and win. This week they face the Arizona Cardinals, which you'd think would be a much easier game than Baltimore but Arizona just beat the Patriots. Which leads me too...

8. Arizona beats the Patriots on the road. Not only is this feat amazing considering the QB controversy in Arizona and so many questions about how that offense would perform, but Larry Fitzgerald only have 1 catch for 4 yards. And Arizona STILL beat the Patriots. The Pats lost TE Hernandez to injury during the game and he's going to be out for at least a few weeks which will certainly hurt the Pats 2 TE offense. Maybe the Pats aren't as good as we thought? Time will tell. But Arizona is now 2-0 and tied with the 49'ers for first in the NFC West. Go figure.

7. Speaking of the NFC West, how about the Seattle Seahawks? After the Cowboys domination of the reigning Superbowl Champ NY Giants, the Cowboys completely fell apart in week 2 against Seattle. QB Russell Wilson looked pretty solid and Lynch has been a beast in the running game. Other than one TD pass to Miles Austin, Dallas just couldn't get their offense going against a tough Seattle defense. Another win for the NFC West.

6. Andrew Luck gets his first NFL win. Nobody expected the Colts to be good this season. We understand that they are rebuilding and have a lot of work to do. But if there was any doubt as to why the Colts organization made the moves they did to secure Andrew Luck, many of the doubters were reassured on Sunday. Sure, they were playing a weak Minnesota team who is also rebuilding. But to see Andrew Luck drive the team down the field in the last minutes of the game to score the game winning field goal after the Vikings had just scored to tie the game? That's impressive. There is a lot to look forward to Colts fans.

5. JETS! JETS! JETS! Wait...what? What happened to the Jets we saw last week? NY's performance against the Steelers this week looked more like what we feared week 1 would look like. The sharp confident Sanchez of week 1? Not sure what happened to him. Then again, Big Ben was on fire this week yet struggled last week against the Broncos. Point being? Any given Sunday, right? If you ruled out the Steelers because they lost to Denver on the road? Come on, man. Really? And if you thought the Jets were all of sudden going to be all right and dominate after week 1? Come on, man. Time will tell where there 2 wind up at the end of the season but if I had to bet I would guess the Steelers are the more likely team to make playoff run. Maybe the Jets should play more Tebow...

4. Manning Meltdown in Atlanta. Manning fans were all excited to see Peyton do so well in the home opener against the Steelers - and expected similar play against Atlanta. Manning instead did his best Michael Vick impression and threw 3 interceptions in the first half. Unfortunately for Peyton, he was unable to overcome those interceptions though he did rally the Broncos back. It was just too late to win the game. Have to give kudos to the Atlanta defense though - they played tough. And if anyone wonders why I picked Atlanta to win their division? There you go. They are hot both offensively and defensively and you can expect them to be a force to recon with come playoff season this year. Mark it.

3. Jeff Fisher's mustache helps bring a Rams win at home against the Redskins. Okay, maybe I'm placing this a little high on my list for the week but I didn't hear anyone pick the Rams over Washington after seeing RGIII's exciting week 1 performance. What was exciting for me to see in this game was to see both sides of Rams football working hard to win the game. This is not the Rams team everyone is used to seeing. Oh, and to answer the question of Chris Johnson yards vs Ammendola catches? Danny had 15 catches to Johnson's 17 total rush yards. Still think Ammendola's the winner here. RGIII still looked good, I gotta give him credit. And if the Skins hand't drawn that stupid penalty Cundiff might have had a chance to tie the game with a field goal and who knows. But the point is, the Rams are better than you think. And get this. The NFC West? All won games this weekend. NFC Worst? I don't think so...

2. Packers fake field goal attempt and score touchdown against the Bears. After losing to the 49'ers in week 1, the Packers knew they had to win this game. The Green Bay defense did not make it an easy day for Cutler, who was sacked 7 times and intercepted 4 times. But the Bears defense wasn't making it easy for Green Bay to get in the endzone either. After setting up for a field game attempt in the second quarter, the Packers completely fooled the Bears and faked the field goal and scored a TD. Green Bay was able to take control of the offense from there on out and win the game.

1. Since everyone else can't stop talking about it, I might as well talk about it too. The end of the Tampa Bay-NY Giants game has caused quite a controversy. With 4 seconds left in the game, the Giants were up by 6 and had the ball. So you know how this goes, right? The team ahead that has the ball just takes a knee and the game is over.  But Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano ordered his team to play until the end, so the defense dove for Manning's knees to try and force a fumble. This has caused outrage from not just Giants fans, but across the league. In fact, turn on any sports radio station or TV station and it seems like no one can shut up about it. Which leads me to my tangent of the week...

I do not by any means think it was okay for Schiano to do this. You don't go after a QB who's taking a knee with 4 seconds left in the game. I get the mentality of playing until the end, the final end, but unless there was a dropped snap there was little chance of them recovering a fumble and then on top of that, having enough time to score to win the game.

But I've always wondered about the taking a knee thing. We all know the drill. The team who's winning gets the ball with a minute and a half to go and you know they're just going to take a knee and it's over.

But why can you take a knee? Shouldn't you play the game until the end? Do you know how long it takes to score a touchdown?

2.7 seconds. Or at least, that's what I learned the hard way in November 2001. Monon Bell Game. DePauw University and Wabash University famous rivalry. Tied 21-21 with 2.7 seconds left. We thought for sure the game would go into OT.  2.7 seconds left. Wabash ball. The QB throws a Hail Mary pass that was tipped and landed into the hands of another player who was in the endzone and...won the game.

Stunned is not a good enough word to describe every DePauw fan in that stadium.

Check out the play here:

Point being, why are we deprived of last minute miracles because of the take a knee rule? If the offense has to make plays during that minute and a half, a lot could happen to change the game. It could be exciting. It could be excellent ratings for the NFL.

I get the safety issue and certainly teams could still play conservatively to run the clock out. But you know what? You should have to work for that win. Isn't it a little too easy to just take a knee?

Of course when my team is in that situation I'd be biting my nails until the game's over but I don't think that's bad. Perhaps teams should play until the clock is at zero. Then both sides of the ball know to prepare themselves - and the play call by Tampa Bay wouldn't seem so utterly ridiculous. 

That's all I've got for this week. More on the latest NFL madness next week!

It's Official: These Refs Gotta Go

I had the pleasure of attending the Rams home game against the Redskins yesterday. It was an exciting game, and it was so nice to see the Rams finally look good on both sides of the ball and get a win.

What was exciting but incredibly irritating and utterly frustrating was the officiating in this game. The replacement refs have been a big story this season but last week the officiating didn't seem to be as big of a problem as everyone thought.

And then there's this week. I have never seen such and awful, poorly run game in my life than the one I saw yesterday. The refs could not keep control of the game and calls were made that made no sense or you couldn't understand what the call was and there was just a plethora of bad calls against both teams.

For example, the Skins were 3rd and 18 and RGIII ran out of bounds short of the 1st. All of sudden there's a penalty called, they get 15 yards and a 1st down and this lead to their first offensive touchdown of the game. In the stands, we had no clue what the call was. Couldn't hear the ref make the call. Turns out they called a late hit even though the Rams defender hit RGIII before he went out of bounds. Was it close? Yes. But the regular NFL refs wouldn't make that call, in my opinion. It was clearly not intentional, the Rams player was just trying to stop him or push him out of bounds, which is his job. This may have started the ugliness that ensued the rest of the game between Rams players and Skins players because there was a lot of trash talking, almost fights, just overall...not good.

The bad calls are part of it, but another big problem? Timing. The Rams games yesterday took about 4 hours to play start to finish including halftime. That's a LONG game. And a big part of it is because it takes these refs MUCH longer to make a call or review a play. The Rams scored a 2 point conversion and the refs decided to review the play and it took about 15 minutes before they ruled it as good. That's just way too long. In general, whether it's these refs or the regular ones, there should be a limit on how much time you can review a play. Because in theory, you're not supposed to change the ruling on the field unless there's enough evidence to overturn it. If you can't find that in 5 minutes, the ruling on the field should stand. NFL games are slow enough with all of the penalties, time outs, injuries on the field, reviewing plays...there's enough disruption of the flow of the game. We don't need to make it any longer than it already is. 

Listen, I don't blame these refs. It's not their fault that they aren't professionally trained NFL refs. They're trying to do their best and have had to learn rules quickly and in some cases it feels like they're learning on the job. It's really unfair to them.

Who I do blame? The NFL. This has gone on long enough. We don't want to see games decided by bad calls from the replacement refs. The professionals don't always get the calls right but most of the time they do. Does every hold get called? No. But the blatantly obvious ones do. And you know that the players are trying to push the envelope and get away with more because they hope the replacement refs don't see it or call it. That's problematic too.

So it's time to end this. Come on NFL, let's get a deal done today and restore the integrity of the game.

 

McKayla Maroney is NOT impressed with these refs. 

NFL Week 1 Round-Up

Week 1 of the NFL is officially in the history books and as usual, the NFL did not disappoint in its ability to provide drama, surprises, rookies doing well and rookies doing…well, just down right terrible.

There’s a lot that could be covered about every team in the league here but I’ve decided to introduce a new feature of  this blog, and that is (*drumroll please*)…

Calisportsdiva’s Top 10 NFL Afterthoughts of the Week

10. The Rams almost beat the Lions in Detroit. I know no one else is talking about the Rams and if you thought I wouldn’t find a way to work the Rams into my top 10, you don’t know me very well. I had a lot of hopes and expectations for the Rams going into week 1. Sam Bradford looked a lot better in pre-season, Jeff Fisher is a veteran coach with a lot of experience, the Rams defense is much improved (and after this week – I know, it’s week 1 – I’d say their defense is pretty darn good in comparison to some other teams *cough* New Orleans *cough *Bengals* cough*).  But I think most Rams fans didn’t expect the Rams to be able to beat the Lions on the road, and they kept it close and made it a very close game. Does that mean the Rams are playoff caliber? Not saying that. But don’t expect the same old Rams this season. They proved in this game that they have the drive to fight for the win, and for this Rams fan, that’s a MAJOR improvement over last season.

9. Buffalo, oh no. We all waited in anticipation to see how the Jets Sanchez-Tebow circus would perform in week 1. The answer? A 48-28 absolute pounding by the NY Jets. Sanchez made the Buffalo defense look like a piece of swiss cheese there were so many holes. Didn’t help Buffalo that Fred Jackson went out early in the game due to injury (didn’t help my fantasy team either *sigh*) and Fitzpatrick threw as many interceptions as TD’s. I said in my NFL predictions that I expected Buffalo to be better (so far, not seeing it) and that the Jets can win a wild card spot. If the Jets keep up performances like this, wild card for sure. But let’s see how they perform against a top ranked defense, like Baltimore.

8. Speaking of Baltimore, I know I picked them to win their division (with really no contest) but wow, what complete annihilation of the Bengals . Not that I expected the Bengals to be stellar but I at least liked their offensive options. It looks like Dalton and co. have a bit to work on still. But you can’t discount that Baltimore defense. What is it about the Harbaugh brothers and their defenses? After week 1, I’m definitely interested in seeing a Niners-Ravens re-match.

7. I think most people expected Green Bay to win at home against San Francisco. We knew the Niners defense was tough. But we also knew, or at least thought, that Aaron Rodgers could out battle Alex Smith. How about this for a stat? I’m in 3 fantasy football leagues. Depending on how the points are laid out in the league, Alex Smith had more fantasy points than ALL of my starting QB’s. Who are, as follows: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford. Yep. That’s insane. But that’s the NFL for you. Have to give it to the Niners though – they were absolutely stellar. I had a glimmer of hope that the Rams might be able to beat them at home but now…yikes. Not so sure about that. Watch out for the Niners this season. They can still taste that NFC Championship loss against the Giants, and if they play their cards right, they may be right back at that championship come this January.

6. Not so lucky. Andrew Luck, that is. He wasn’t lucky from the start, having his debut NFL performance against the Bears. If I could pick 5 defenses I wouldn’t want to face my first NFL appearance they would be (historically speaking): Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Francisco, and Oakland. I don’t think anyone expected the Colts to win this game – they are rebuilding with a rookie QB and Chicago’s looking pretty solid as long as Cutler can stay healthy. We’ll have to see how Luck does going forward. Fortunately for him, the AFC South is not exactly a super tough division right now. The Colts can realistically beat Tennessee and Jacksonville, and they get to play them twice.

5. Matt Ryan is a baller. I picked Atlanta to win their division and if anyone had any doubts about that, see the Falcons-Chiefs game. Okay, sure, it’s Kansas City, who has been in recent years, a .500 team at best. However, you got to give props to Ryan for his 3 passing TD’s plus rushing for a TD. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones fantasy team owners rejoice, Michael Turner fans cry. Matt Cassel didn’t have a terrible day (he was one of the few QB’s who didn’t throw an interception) but against an explosive offensive team like Atlanta, they needed to be better. The Falcons are a good team. NFC, take note.

4. Battle of the QB’s vs the rookie. Skelton or Kolb? Who is Russell Wilson? Yes, I’m talking about the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks. This year, it seems to be the year of the rookie QB’s. So how did Russell Wilson do…eh, well…you know…not all that bad. He did okay. But not good enough to win the game, even after Skelton left due to injury and Kolb took over to close out the win. As if there wasn’t enough drama in Arizona over their QB situation. Arizona hasn’t had a solid answer at QB since Kurt Warner retired. So we’ll see is it’s Kolb or Skelton next week. Either way, not super impressed by either Seattle or Arizona this week. Feels good as a Rams fan, because it gives me hope that the Rams can actually beat these teams. We’ll see.

3. How ‘bout them Cowboys? Maybe the Cowboys read my NFL predictions blog. Because I was mighty down on them. I couldn’t help it. In the past few years it seemed like they had made all of the right moves for this elite team and just…fell flat. Maybe everyone being down on them it what they needed to get their act together. The Giants certainly weren’t expecting it. Oh, and who the hell is Ogletree? Probably the most requested WR off the waivers on fantasy this week. Whether he’s Romo’s new fav or just a fluke is yet to be seen but the overall point is this: the Cowboys are ready to fight. Eli “you can’t spell elite without eli” Manning better take note. The Giants are going to have to fight hard against the Cowboys for this division win.

2. RGIII. Of all of the rookie QB’s, RGIII certainly enjoyed the best week 1 performance. RGIII threw for 320 passing yards and 2 TD’s.  Impressive? Yes. Against a New Orleans defense that is subpar due to the sanctions played against them due to bounty gate, no Sean Payton and not a whole lot of changes to the defense in the off season? It’s a good performance. Before you Redskins fans get crazy excited, just remember that Cam Newton threw for 400+ in his rookie debut, and he hasn’t taken Carolina to the playoffs yet. Don’t get cute. We’ll see how RGIII does against the Rams D next week. I may be at the game – cheering loudly for my Rams.

1. Peyton’s Back. Come on, how can Peyton’s comeback on SNF not be #1? It wasn’t the best performance ever by Peyton but the overall dynamic was clear: Peyton is back and ready to roll. As soon as John Fox gave Peyton the go ahead to run a no huddle offense? You saw classic Peyton. How many different receivers/tight ends did he throw to? Peyton wasn’t at 300+ yards and 3 TD’s, but he did what Denver needed to do to get this win. And the Steelers? I said this in my NFL predictions: their defense isn’t as scary as it used to be. Peyton is familiar with the Steeler D and there were times where it just looked like Peyton was having fun with Polamalu – teasing him. For a fan of Peyton, it was nice to see him back in his element. I wish it was in a Colts uniform but I wish him success. I’m not going to jump on the Broncos bandwagon but I will support Peyton.

So that wraps up the big stories of week 1 of the NFL. Hope to bring some live game perspective of the Rams next week. Until then, go baseball Cardinals! 

NFL Predictions

The NFL season kicks off on Wednesday and I couldn't be more excited. It's no secret that football is my favorite sport, though baseball is a close second. The thing about baseball is it's such a long season. Whereas football is short and every week, every game is vitally important (except for maybe those week 17 games for teams that have already made the playoffs). I'm not saying that each baseball game doesn't mean something - of course they always want to win and wins are important. But, other than falling incredibly behind in the beginning of the season, losses in April don't mean the same as losses in August or September. In the NFL, each loss hurts.

Speaking of baseball though, we're in September so it's down to the final month of games until playoff time. At this moment, other than a couple of teams the playoff picture is still hard to predict. It looks like the Nationals and the Reds will win their divisions but you never know - just ask the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. Am just hoping the Cardinals can hang on to a wild card spot. Right now it looks very possible, but we'll see how it goes.

So, the NFL season starts this week and I wanted to get my predictions for this 2012 season so here we go!

AFC East

DIVISION WINNER: New England Patriots

WHY: Have you seen the Patriots schedule? Buffalo is a better team this year I think, but the Patriots have pretty much the same weapons as last season and have one of the easiest schedules in the league. The Jets Sanchez-Tebow soap opera is going to be interesting to watch but so difficult to see how this team will perform. I give them a shot at a wild card spot but don't think they can overcome the Pats. Oh and Miami is...well, Miami.

AFC North

DIVISION WINNER: Baltimore Ravens

WHY: I'm not big on Cleveland, other than seeing how Trent Richardson performs. The Bengals have a decent QB in Andy Dalton and he has A.J. Green but I'm just not sure Cincinnati is where it needs to be to be a playoff caliber team. The Steelers defense is not nearly as scary as it used to be and they haven't done much to make their offense better. Baltimore was a great team last season and they have pretty much the same key players as last season. I think the Bengals and Steelers could contend for a wild card, but I think Baltimore takes the division.

AFC SOUTH

DIVISION WINNER: Houston Texans

WHY: Jaguars are terrible, Tennessee isn't much better and the Colts are rebuilding. The Texans have a top 5 ranked defense and as long as their offense stays healthy, I think this is really no contest. 

AFC WEST

DIVISION WINNER: Denver Broncos

WHY: Honestly, the AFC West could really go any way. I think this division is full of 8-8, 9-7 caliber teams at the moment. However, if there is a team that looks like they have the best shot at winning the division, it's Denver. They have a decent defense and they have Peyton Manning. I don't think that Denver is going to take the division by a landslide, they'll win with a record of 9-7 or 10-6. But I like their chances.

NFC EAST

DIVISION WINNER: New York Giants

WHY: Redskins will be better, but they are rebuilding with RGIII and I just don't think they'll be playoff ready this season. The Cowboys have been overrated for years and based on what I saw last year, I have a hard time seeing them as a playoff team. The offense struggled to stay healthy last season - if they can stay healthy then they may give the Giants a run for their money. As for Philly...I want to like the Eagles, but they make it difficult to do so. They have the pieces to be a playoff team, but injuries seem to plague them too. The Giants have the same weapons as last season and I think they have the best shot at winning the division. The Eagles and Cowboys could have a shot at the wild card.

NFC NORTH

DIVISION WINNER: Green Bay Packers

WHY: The team is intact from last season and they were pretty damn good last season. I expect them to have a similar season this year as long as everyone stays healthy. The Vikings have a long way to go to get back to playoff caliber. I think the Bears and the Lions will both be good teams this season, but just don't think they are good enough to top Green Bay. Both have decent shots at a wild card spot. 

NFC SOUTH

DIVISION WINNER: Atlanta Falcons

WHY: New Orleans is going to struggle with the sanctions that have been placed on them due to bounty gate, and no Sean Payton to lead them is going to hurt. I still think they are a good team, but I think it's definitely going to be a rough season for them. Tampa Bay's got a lots of holes and Carolina I'm just not sure about them. The Falcons have a solid team and Matt Ryan's got a great weapon with Julio Jones. The Saints and the Panthers might have a shot at a wild card spot, but I don't think they can overcome the Falcons for the division.

NFC WEST

DIVISION WINNER: San Francisco 49'ers

WHY: It absolutely pains me to pick the Niners but you can't argue with the facts, and that is, they are a good team. Top ranked defense and their offense does enough to get it done. The Cardinals can't even figure out their QB right now so I'm not high on them. Seattle has a top ranked defense and I think will be a scary team once all of the offense holes are filled but can Russell Wilson really lead them to offensive greatness this season? And if Russell struggles, can Flynn do it? Lots of questions still. The Rams are going to be a much better team this season than last year. I like how Sam Bradford has been throwing the ball and I like the changes Jeff Fisher has made. But not sure if they can be better than 9-7. I can hope, but if I'm realistic I know that the Rams will be better, but may not be a playoff contender.

WILD CARDS: If I had to pick right now, I'd say the wild card spots will be the Steelers and Jets in the AFC, and the Saints and the Eagles in the NFC. But I think there are going to be a lot of close races for the wild card spots so it's really wide open.

So there you are, my 2012 NFL predictions. We'll see in January how right I was!

Only 2 more days to kickoff!