A is for Andy Dalton. The Red Rocket threw for 366 yards and 4 touchdown passes as the Cincinnati Bengals routed the Minnesota Vikings 42-14 today. The win clinched a playoff berth for Cincinnati and marked the first time in Bengals history that they've clinched a playoff berth in three consecutive seasons.
B is for Bowl Games. The Bowl Season kicked off on Saturday with four games. Colorado State scored 18 unanswered points in the final 3 minutes of the Gildan New Mexico Bowl as the Rams rallied to shock Washington State 48-45. Sophomore running back Kapri Bibbs ran for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win, while Washington State's Connor Halliday threw for 410 yards and 6 touchdown passes in a losing effort... 25th ranked USC jumped out to a 35-6 halftime lead over Fresno State and cruised to a 45-20 win in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. Quarterback Cody Kessler threw for 344 yards and 4 scores to lead the Trojans... The San Diego State Aztecs routed Buffalo 49-24 behind 229 yards and 3 touchdowns from junior running back Adam Muema in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl... Finally, in an interstate showdown at the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, a missed 48 yard field goal with 9 seconds left allowed the University of Louisiana-Lafayette to hang on for a 24-21 win over Tulane. Tulane Senior running back Orleans Darkwa tied a career high with 3 rushing touchdowns in a losing effort.
Photo Credit: http://campusinsiders.com
C is for Champions League Draw. The Champions League draw for the Round of 16 is set with some big-time match-ups now on the slate. Here's a rundown of the eight pairings: Manchester City (England) vs Barcelona (Spain), Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) vs Paris Saint-Germain (France), AC Milan (Italy) vs Atletico Madrid (Spain), Arsenal (England) vs Bayern Munich (Germany), Zenit St Petersburg (Russia) vs Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Galatasaray (Turkey) vs Chelsea (England), Olympiakos (Greece) vs Manchester United (England), and Schalke 04 (Germany) vs Real Madrid (Spain). Some of the highlights involve Didier Drogba (Galatasaray) taking on his former club Chelsea and German star Mesut Özil (Arsenal) getting matched up with the German Champions Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich knocked out Arsenal in the first round of last year's tournament en route to the title.
A is for Asiata. With injuries to running backs Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart, the Minnesota Vikings were forced to turn to Matt Asiata in their tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles today. Asiata, undrafted out of Utah, entered the day with 3 carries in his CAREER, and none of those coming in 2013. The result? THIRTY carries for 51 yards (not that impressive), but hold on... THREE touchdowns. He also added 3 catches for 15 yards. I know Asiata isn't going to make anyone forget about Adrian Peterson, but Peterson hasn't rushed for 3 scores in a game since October of 2011.
B is for Ballon d'Or. The three finalists for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award have been announced by FIFA: Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), France's Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich) and Argentina's Lionel Messi (Barcelona). Messi has won the award every year since its inception in 2010 but, thanks in large part to a torn thigh muscle, is considered to be out of the running meaning Ronaldo and Ribéry are the two front runners. While Ronaldo is no surprise having been the award's runner-up the past two years, the 30 year old Ribéry is a bit of an aberration. A staple with Bayern Munich since 2007, the French winger helped lead Bayern to wins in the Champions League, and DFB Pokal (German Tournament) as well as first place in the Bundesliga this past year. The winner will be announced in January at the Ballon d’Or award ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich.
C is for Club World Cup. We're down to the Final Four in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup: Guangzhou Evergrande (China), Bayern Munich (Germany), Raja Casablanca (Morocco), and Atlético Mineiro (Brazil). Raja Casablanca, the host club for this year's tournament, has pulled off a pair of upsets so far, knocking off OFC Champions Auckland City (New Zealand), and CONCACAF Champions Monterey (Mexico) by identical 2-1 margins. Guangzhou Evergrande punched their ticket to the semis by defeating Egyptian club, and the African champs, Al-Ahly 2-0. Monterey and Al-Ahly will now face one another for 5th place while the semifinal match-ups will feature Bayern Munich and Guangzhou Evergrande, and Atlético Mineiro and Raja Casablanca. Since the rebirth of the Championship back in 2005, only one country from outside of South America or Europe has reached the finals: TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of the Congo back in 2010.
So Agudelo is now playing for Chivas USA, and in return they get Heath
Pearce, money allocation, and future considerations. Who got the best
end of this deal, Chivas or the Red Bulls, and do you see this helping
Juan Agudelo's development as a player? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: espn.go.com
I really think this is a great move for both sides. The Red Bulls have been devastated by injuries this year, particularly on defense, and Heath Pearce gives them exactly what they need to shore up what has become a very inexperienced backline. With plenty of firepower up front in Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper, Juan Agudelo basically became expendable and Chivas USA is a perfect landing spot for him. The Goats have scored just 8 goals in 12 games so far this season and Agudelo gives them a legitimate weapon in his prime. This is also exactly the opportunity that the 19 year old Agudelo needs to continue to develop as a player. Stuck behind Luke Rodgers for much of 2011 and Kenny Cooper in 2012, Agudelo hasn't gotten the minutes you'd expect for a player with his potential. The move to the west coast finally gives him the opportunity to take his next steps forward as a player.
Ok, so Chelsea wins the Champions League title this past weekend after a
very exciting game that went all the way past extra time and into PK's.
Now they get to play Champions League ball even though they only
managed a 6th place finish in the EPL this year. Now that relegates
Tottenham to playing Europa ball, and knocks Liverpool out of playing in
Europe at all, correct? The whole thing seems a bit convoluted if you
ask me, but then again what do I know? Do I have it right? Do Liverpool
fans have yet ANOTHER reason to hate Chelsea? Is there any other
possible way for the powers that be to manage a situation like that? And
has their even been a situation like this before? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: aderinola.wordpress.com
First of all, what an unbelievable run for Chelsea. I didn't even give them a puncher's chance against Bayern Munich, especially with the game in Munich, but as they say, that's why they play the game. Anyhow, as you mentioned, there are consequences as Chelsea, the 6th best team in the English Premier League this past season, wins the Champions League title and the automatic berth into next year's tournament that comes with it. Because England can only send four teams tom the Champions League, Tottenham Hotspur, the 4th place team in the Premier League had its spot in the Champions League revoked dropping them into the Europa League tournament instead. Now the Europa League is slightly more complicated. England gets 3 automatic berths there typically reserved for the winner of the Carling Cup (Liverpool), the 5th Place Premier League Finisher (Newcastle) and the 6th Place Finisher (Chelsea). With Chelsea's spot vacated, Spurs slot in nicely, so no one's really getting robbed of an opportunity here. Liverpool fans can rest easy.
Interestingly enough, Liverpool is actually the reason there is a contingency plan in place for a situation like this. In 2005, when Everton finished fourth,
and fifth place Liverpool won the Champions League, there was no provision in UEFA's
regulations for such an unlikely scenario where the champion wasn't an automatic qualifier for the next tournament. UEFA had simply presumed
that any team good enough to win its marquee tournament would also have
qualified for next season's competition by conventional means. As a result, the rules were rewritten so that if the circumstances of 2005 were
repeated, the reigning champ's entry would take precedence over the weakest league
qualifier, with a maximum of four clubs permitted from a single country. It's a tough break for Spurs, but considering they choked away a third place finish in the EPL they really have no one to blame but themselves.
With all the media surrounding the roger Clemens perjury trial, why is he testifying before elected government officials? Since when has the federal government cared about drug usage with sports? Why don't they go after Hollywood types for drugs if it's that big of an issue to them? I just see our tax dollars going to an odd place and I missed why Clemens, and Bonds for that matter, receive so much federal attention. - The Dude, Chesapeake, VA
Photo Credit: newyork.cbslocal.com
It's a legitimate question. With everything else going in the country, why did our Congress use its resources to address steroids in baseball? But, these are people we elected so I guess you get what you vote for. Or don't vote for. Anyhow... Agree or not with Congress's involvement, the fact remains that Clemens, and Bonds for that matter, were alleged to have made false statements while under oath. In Bonds' case, he was found guilty of obstructing justice stemming from his grand jury appearance in 2003. And then currently Clemens is on trial for six felony counts involving perjury, false statements and obstruction of justice. Two jurors have already been dismissed for falling asleep during the trial so that should tell you everything you need to know about whether people care or not.
That does it for this week. As always a special thanks to everyone who wrote in. And remember, as the great G$ Meyer says Reading is for Winners, especially when you read Smitty's Mailbag.
Got a question for the mailbag? Click on the link at the top of the
page or email us directly at smittysports.blogspot@hotmail.com.
The accomplishments just keep piling up for Lionel Messi. Despite an unexpected elimination in the Champions League, Messi responded with 9 goals this week including 4 more today against Espanyol. Messi now has 50 in La Liga play, including 8 hat tricks, and 72 goals across all competitions this season for Barcelona. To put his 50 league goals in perspective, he has more goals than 13 entire teams in La Liga: Racing Santander, Sporting Gijon, Real Zaragoza, Villareal, Granada, Real Sociedad, Espanyol, Real Betis, Getafe, Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla FC, Osasuna and Mallorca.
Here's a look back at Messi's road to 72:
08/14/11 - 1 (1) - Super Cup vs Real Madrid (A)
08/17/11 - 2 (3) - Super Cup vs Real Madrid (H)
08/26/11 - 1 (4) - UEFA Super Cup vs FC Porto (H)
08/29/11 - 2 (6) - La Liga vs Villareal (H) 09/17/11 - 3 (9) - La Liga vs Osasuna (H) 09/24/11 - 3 (12) - La Liga vs Atlético Madrid (H)
09/28/11 - 2 (14) - UEFA Champions League vs BATE Borisov (A)
10/15/11 - 2 (16) - La Liga vs Racing Santander (H) 10/29/11 - 3 (19) - La Liga vs Mallorca (H) 11/01/11 - 3 (22) - UEFA Champions League vs Viktoria Plzen (A)
11/06/11 - 1 (23) - La Liga vs Athletic Bilbao (A)
11/19/11 - 1 (24) - La Liga vs Real Zaragoza (H)
11/23/11 - 1 (25) - UEFA Champions League vs AC Milan (A)
11/29/11 - 1 (26) - La Liga vs Rayo Vallecano (H)
12/03/11 - 1 (27) - La Liga vs Levante (H)
12/18/11 - 2 (29) - Club World Cup vs Santos FC (A)
01/04/12 - 2 (31) - Copa del Rey vs Osasuna (H)
01/15/12 - 2 (33) - La Liga vs Real Betis (H) 01/22/12 - 3 (36) - La Liga vs Málaga (A)
02/04/12 - 1 (37) - La Liga vs Real Sociedad (H)
02/14/12 - 1 (38) - UEFA Champions League vs Bayer Leverkusen (A) 02/19/12 - 4 (42) - La Liga vs Valencia (H)
02/26/12 - 1 (43) - La Liga vs Atlético Madrid (A) 03/07/12 - 5 (48) - UEFA Champions League vs Bayer Leverkusen (H)
03/11/12 - 2 (50) - La Liga vs Racing Santander (A)
03/17/12 - 1 (51) - La Liga vs Sevilla FC (A) 03/20/12 - 3 (54) - La Liga vs Grenada (H)
03/24/12 - 1 (55) - La Liga vs Mallorca (A)
03/31/12 - 1 (56) - La Liga vs Athletic Bilbao (H)
04/03/12 - 2 (58) - UEFA Champions League vs AC Milan (H)
04/07/12 - 2 (60) - La Liga vs Real Zaragoza (A)
04/10/12 - 1 (61) - La Liga vs Getafe (H)
04/14/12 - 2 (63) - La Liga vs Levante (A)
04/29/12 - 2 (65) - La Liga vs Rayo Vallecano (A) 05/02/12 - 3 (68) - La Liga vs Málaga (H) 05/05/12 - 4 (72) - La Liga vs Espanyol (H)
The Champions League Final that everyone thought we'd see isn't going to happen. Barcelona and Real Madrid both blew leads in the second leg of their semifinal matches and were eliminated by Chelsea and Bayern Munich respectively. After dropping the opener 1-0, Barcelona jumped out to a 2-0 lead against 10-man Chelsea who had lost one starting center back (Gary Cahill) to injury and another (John Terry) to ejection. But Barcelona conceded a first half stoppage time goal to Ramires, and then saw Lionel Messi strike the bar on a second half penalty and then hit the post a second time from the run of play, and then finally had any last hopes crushed when the much-maligned Spaniard Fernando Torres scored in the 90th minute to clinch the win for Chelsea. Despite 80% possession and over 650 completed passes in the match, Barcelona was unable to produce a third goal and as a result won't be defending their title in Munich next month.
Real Madrid similarly overcame a 1-goal aggregate deficit by jumping out to a 2-0 lead in their second leg match against Bayern Munich on a pair of goals by Cristiano Ronaldo, but Arjen Robben knotted the aggregate score at 3 with a first half penalty kick. The match would go to extra time with neither side scoring again setting up a shootout. Bayern Munich and German National Team Keeper Manuel Neuer denied both Ronaldo and Kaka, and Sergio Ramos skied his attempt over the bar setting up the eventual game winner from Bastian Schweinsteiger and sending Bayern Munich through to the Finals.
With the Finals in Munich this year and with Chelsea to be without suspended players Terry, Ramires, Branislav Ivanovic and Raul Meireles, you'd have to think the Final favors the German side. But then again, most people never thought either of these teams would even be here, so you just never know. The Champions League Final will be played on May 19th.
Whatever happened to Major League Baseball's 'Opening Day'? - Ben K., Slidell, LA
Photo Credit: chicagonow.com
That's a great question. I feel like when we were kids you had Opening DAY and now it seems like we have Opening WEEK. And that doesn't even begin to take into account the Japan series between Seattle and Oakland in March. I guess the justification is that it prolongs the celebration of the start of a new season with your marquee Opening Night matchup and then two full days of season openers. I dunno, personally I'm not a huge fan. I had to wait all the way until Friday for the Astros to open their season. Although the upside of this was that the Astros were undefeated all the way up until Friday... If it was up to me I'd say go back to the way it was, but I think the current setup is here to stay for the time being. Ultimately I'm just happy that baseball is back.
What are your thoughts on the Celtic lineup when they have Rondo and Bradley on the floor at the same time? - Garrett M., Boston, MA
Photo Credit: masslive.com
Avery Bradley reminds me of a miniature version of Tony Allen, and if you'll recall, the Celtics won a ring with him back in 2008. Now granted, at 6'4" 213 lbs, Allen could do things on the defensive end that Bradley can't at 6'2" 180 lbs, but he's still highly effective. With Bradley on the floor with Rajon Rondo the Celtics can wreak havoc on the defensive end. Unfortunately, they become a much smaller lineup, and they're decidedly more limited on offense. Bradley has made just seven 3-pointers all season, and isn't going to remind anyone of Ray Allen any time soon. I think he's an ideal fit for Boston's second unit, but I feel like he'll kill your offense if used too much in a half-court set. But then again, the Celtics won a ring with Tony Allen on the floor and I swear I saw that guy have a layup rejected by the underside of the rim. So far Coach Doc Rivers has found spots to use Bradley and succeed without exposing his shortcomings, so expect the Celtics small-ball package of Rondo, Bradley, Allen, Pierce and Bass/Garnett to continue to see minutes down the stretch.
Man U looks to be in typical Man U late-season form picking up 3 points left and right. Now that Man City seems to be dropping points almost on a regular basis, are the Red Devils on their way to a 20th title? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com
Manchester City will need a miracle to get back into the race at this point. Already facing a difficult uphill climb heading into yesterday's match with Arsenal, they suffered a crippling 1-0 defeat that now puts them 8 points back with just 6 matches to go. City has no one but themselves to blame either. While United has taken care of their business winning 8 straight league matches, the last 5 of them via shutout, City has fallen on its face winning just once in its last 5 games. While nothing has been clinched yet and there are no sure things, I'd be pretty confident that United will bring home some more hardware. Here's a look at both teams' schedules the rest of the way:
Manchester City
4/11/12 vs West Bromwich Albion (13th)
4/14/12 @ Norwich City (9th)
4/22/12 @ Wolverhampton Wanderers (20th)
4/30/12 vs Manchester United (1st)
5/06/12 @ Newcastle United (5th)
5/13/12 vs Queens Park Rangers (17th)
Manchester United
4/11/12 @ Wigan Athletic (19th)
4/15/12 vs Aston Villa (15th)
4/22/12 vs Everton (7th)
4/30/12 @ Manchester City (2nd)
5/06/12 vs Swansea City (14th)
5/13/12 @ Sunderland (10th)
People are going ga-ga over the possibility of an all La Liga Champions League Final. However, as they say, it ain't over til it's over. While I don't see anybody stopping Barcelona from reaching the finals, what are the odds of Bayern Munich playing spoiler and locking out Real Madrid? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: goal.com
Bayern Munich isn't a team that should be taken lightly. They have the best goal differential in the Bundesliga scoring more goals (69) and giving up fewer goals (19) than anyone else in the league. In 15 league matches at home they've outscored their opponents 47-6, and they're undefeated at home in the Champions League. They boast an exceptional keeper in Manuel Neuer, the captain of the German National Team in Philipp Lahm manning the backline, and a number of gifted finishers in Thomas Müller, Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben and the Bundesliga's leading scorer Mario Gomez. Now are they good enough to stop an in-form Real Madrid squad? Maybe not. But Real Madrid has drawn 3 times in its last 5 league matches, and hasn't REALLY been tested in the Champions League thus far. I can say with certainty that Bayern Munich is a better side than APOEL Nicosia, so an all-Spanish Championship is far from a foregone conclusion.
After finally seeing how Herculez Gomez plays, could he be the answer to the USMNT's scoring woes? He seems to maybe be the clinical finisher that we need. - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: newyorkredbulls.com
If you follow the blog at all, you know I'm a huge fan of what Herculez Gomez has been doing lately. And while I certainly think his performance is deserving of some attention for Jurgen Klinsmann, I've got another name for you to keep an eye on as we move forward: Kenny Cooper. The 27 year old Cooper is 6'3", and in 10 career national team appearances, he's scored 4 goals including one against Guatemala during 2010 World Cup Qualifying and 2 more at the 2009 Gold Cup. Since Cooper's insertion into the Red Bulls starting lineup 3 weeks ago, New York is 3-0 and has scored 13 goals with Cooper bagging 5 of them. I could see him serving as the central forward that we want Jozy Altidore to be. A big body, capable of holding the ball up front, and an adept finisher. We've always known Cooper to be a physical presence, and his recent scoring binge isn't a fluke. He also had 18 goals for FC Dallas back in 2008. With Juan Agudelo out injured, Edson Buddle and the Galaxy mired in a big-time slump, and Teal Bunbury's lackluster showing at Olympic Qualifying, I'd love to see both of these guys get a long look. But we'll see what Klinsmann has in mind.
When and where was the first indoor MLB game played? - Trucker D., Gold Canyon, AZ
Photo Credit: swamplot.com
The first indoor game in Major League history was played 47 years ago today in 1965 when the Houston
Astros took on the New York Yankees in an exhibition game at the brand new Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The first indoor regular season game was played there a few days later when the Astros hosted the Phillies on April 12th. Philadelphia won the game 2-0.
Special thanks as always to everyone who wrote in this week. And remember, as the great G$ Meyer says Reading is for Winners, especially when you read Smitty's Mailbag.
Got a question for the mailbag? Click on the link at the top of the
page or email us directly at smittysports.blogspot@hotmail.com.
How much is a championship worth? With the recent movements in the NFL, I wonder what goes through a player's mind when he goes to a team that seems to have no chance at a title but is willing to pay him an extra few million dollars. We know what teams are looking for in a quarterback, but what is Peyton Manning, or any other elite free agent, looking for in a team? - Ben K., Slidell, LA
Photo Credit: espn.go.com
You know I really think it depends on where a player is in his career. A guy in his prime might be more inclined to go after the big payday because he assumes he'll have plenty of time to get that title. However, an older guy who has never won or wants to win one more time might be more willing to sacrifice some money to play for a winning team. You see this a lot in basketball. Last year you saw Mike Bibby join up with the Miami Heat. Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown signed with Boston a couple years back... There are examples in every sport though.
Let's look specifically at Peyton Manning since he just apparently signed with the Denver Broncos. If I'm Manning this is what I'm looking at in terms of where I want to play football:
*Offensive line play. With all the neck surgeries, the last thing I'd want is to play for a team that gives up 5 or 6 sacks a game. The ability to protect the quarterback cannot be undervalued.
*Surrounding talent. At this stage in my career I am only playing because I want to win. I'm not going to sign on to play for a team like Cleveland that is a lot more than a good quarterback away from contending.
*Coaching/Front Office situation. I want to go into a stable situation where I have a good relationship with the coaches and the front office.
*Team philosophy. I want to go somewhere where my style of play will fit into the team concept. As a prolific passer I'm not looking to hand the ball off 40 times a game.
So how did Denver stack up?
O-Line: Well, they did allow over 40 sacks last year, but that was with Tim Tebow under center. Despite his mobility, Tebow was sacked a lot where a better quarterback may have been able to see a throw sooner.
Talent: You can argue that Denver isn't loaded in talent, but they did make the playoffs - albeit in a weak division - AND they won a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Apparently Denver has a free agency plan in place that they drew up in the event Manning signed with them. We'll see how all that comes together.
Front Office: Two words. John. Elway.
Philosophy: Obviously the Broncos aren't going to run the offense like they did with Tim Tebow. With that in mind, you'd expect Manning to get the freedom to run his style of offense.
All in all, I still think if I'm Manning I would've gone to San Francisco. Great defense, great tight end, decent receiver situation with Manningham, Moss and Crabtree, weak division... I dunno, maybe he thinks the road to the Super Bowl is easier going through the AFC. Maybe John Elway is a personal hero of his. Maybe his wife is an avid skier. Who knows. So I guess in summary, there's any number of factors, football related and otherwise, that affect these guys' decisions, and those of us on the outside may never really understand what exactly goes into making them.
Fantasy baseball draft next week!!! Who's looking hot? Also, don't misdirect me because we're in the same league and you want me to get a bad team. (Feel free to make fun of me for being so bold as to ask for advice from my competition.) I did a mock draft, and can't keep from getting so many Braves. I still pick them despite how terrible they're doing in spring training. Also, why are the Braves doing so poorly? I want to blame the players that are being "tried" since it's spring training, but the starters are playing and also doing terrible. Can spring training performance be used to determine how the season will go? - Bama Slammas, Lushbucket Baseball League
Photo Credit: bartscave.blogspot.com
Bold move, Bama. I suppose it's been a while since you've won the Lushbucket title (2005) so maybe I can give you SOME advice. Let's take a look at who's been hot this spring:
*Ryan Raburn - Detroit Tigers - Heading into play today, Raburn leads the majors this spring with 5 home runs and 16 runs batted in.
*Delmon Young - Detroit Tigers - Young has 14 hits in his first 27 at bats this spring (.519) with half of those hits going for extra bases.
*Lorenzo Cain - Kansas City Royals - One of the pieces in the Zack Greinke trade, Cain is 15 for 29 (.517) with 6 doubles and a pair of home runs.
*Dustin Ackley - Seattle Mariners - Ackley has ten hits this spring, but just one single. The young second baseman also has six doubles, two triples and a home run.
*Daniel Descalso - St. Louis Cardinals - Descalso is hitting .385 this spring and leads the majors with 10 walks.
*Adam Wainwright - St. Louis Cardinals - Back from Tommy John surgery, the former ace has tossed 9 innings this spring without allowing an earned run.
*Mike Minor - Atlanta Braves - Minor leads the majors this spring with 14 shutout innings over 4 starts.
*Wade LeBlanc - Miami Marlins - Opposing hitters are batting just .030 against LeBlanc this spring. 10 innings, 1 hit, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts.
Ultimately, I don't know how much you can really read into any of this though. Last year Jake Fox led the majors with 10 spring training home runs, and then went on to hit 2 in 61 at bats for the Orioles and spent a majority of the year in AAA. So use some discretion when evaluating the small sample size. Along those lines I wouldn't worry too much about your Braves. Unless you're looking at a guy who struggled last year and is still struggling this spring, I think you give the benefit of the doubt to past performance. Good luck in the draft this week, but be forewarned the Flying Cave Donkies are looking to get back to winning championships.
Ok, let's go ahead and talk about the 800lb gorilla in the room,
"BountyGate". What are your thoughts about the whole situation and how
bad could this screw up the Saints' chances of winning a Superbowl in
their home stadium next year? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: musiccitymiracles.com
For starters, let me be clear on one thing. I absolutely love the hard hitting aspect of football. I have no problem with guys getting excited over big hits. I'm not even upset about players getting rewarded for delivering big hits. For me this issue comes down to one thing: the Saints were (allegedly) rewarding players for injuring players on the opposing team. Whether it's putting bounties on player's heads, or giving a guy a bonus for sending an opposing player off on a stretcher, this stuff is deplorable, and it needs to be eliminated from the game. We wouldn't tolerate this in any other sport. Anyone remember Temple Basketball and 'The Goon Game'? Temple Head Coach John Chaney was suspended for the remainder of that season when that happened. Shoot, in the movie The Mighty Ducks, everyone knows that when Coach Reilly sends McGill into the game to take out Adam Banks that there was something morally wrong with that. Adding money on top of that just compounds the wrongdoing. So that's where I stand on that.
Photo Credit: droppintreats.com
Now whether or not this sort of thing is commonplace in the league or not, the commissioner has to come down hard, and how hard he comes down will impact how much this affects the Saints. It's really going to come down to whether or not any of the defensive players involved are dealt suspensions. Losing draft picks will hurt them in the long run, but playing short-handed hurts them right now. The NFC South is quickly becoming one of the league's most competitive divisions and the Saints 2012 schedule is far from a cakewalk. In addition to their divisional games the Saints play at Green Bay, at the Giants, at the Cowboys, and at the Broncos (who suddenly have Peyton Manning). AND they have tough home games against the Chargers, 49ers and Eagles. That's a lot of losable games. Given how much better New Orleans is at home than they are on the road, playing without some of their key defenders could greatly impact any hopes they have for homefield advantage in the NFC, which in turn could keep them out of the Super Bowl.
Herculez Gomez is on fire right now, scoring goals like it's nobody's
business in Mexico. he's showing poise and creativity in front of goal,
along with an extremely deft first touch. How long could it be before we
see him back in a U.S. jersey, and what kind of impact could he have in
his current form? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
I sure hope Jurgen Klinsmann is watching because this guy is red hot right now. Edson Buddle's recent benching in L.A. could result in him moving down on the National Team depth chart as well, so this would seem like a perfect opportunity for Gomez to swoop in and get a shot, no pun intended. If you haven't been following Gomez lately, the 29 year old Santos Laguna striker has scored in the last 5 matches he's played in tallying a total of 7 goals. Three of those came in two matches against the Seattle Sounders in the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals. Say what you want about the quality of goals or opponents or what not, but you can't deny the fact that Herculez is getting the job done. With the U.S.'s lack of gifted finishers and capable 1v1 attackers, Gomez could be a great asset coming off the USA bench moving forward. Hopefully he gets an opportunity during the next round of friendlies to show what he can do.
Is it gonna take a miracle of biblical proportions for Cypriot-Side APOEL Nicosia to win the Champions League? I'm not really a fan, but I'm always up for a good underdog story. - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: guardian.co.uk
Wow. You're talking Miracle on Ice times like a billion. Not only do they have to get by Real Madrid, but then they could conceivably play Bayern Munich in the semifinals, and THEN they'd likely meet defending champion Barcelona in the finals. And this isn't like March Madness where you could steal a fluke win and advance. You have to outscore these powerhouses over TWO matches. Could Nicosia shock one of these teams once? Absolutely. Twice? Highly unlikely. Shock THREE of these teams twice? Put it this way. The former Miss South Carolina would have a better
chance of finding Cyprus on a map than Nicosia has of winning the
Champions League.
Diego Forlan is one of my favorite strikers. However, he seems to be not really suited to the kind of soccer that Inter plays. Where do you think would be a better fit for him and why? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com
Forlán replaced Samuel Eto'o at Inter in August and to say the results have been disappointing would be an understatement. He scored in his first goal in his debut on September 11th, but then didn't score again until March. That's like six months. Eto'o scored 37 goals and had 15 assists across all competitions a season ago. Forlán has two goals and one assist this year. That's not going to cut it. Especially when you consider that Inter isn't a 'don't worry, we'll get 'em next year' kind of team. Now I know there have been injury issues that have kept Forlán off the pitch, but the question remains as to whether or not he fits into Inter's system. There's also the fact that the Uruguayan striker will be 33 in May, and with younger options available he may not even be a fit for the club after this year. If that's the case, then what? My opinion? Three words. Major. League. Soccer. Ok, maybe not. Forlán is still good enough to catch on somewhere in Europe if that's what he desires. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go to a mid-level club, like a Fulham or PSG or something, somewhere where they could use a legitimate striker, but there's a little bit less pressure on him. One thing's for sure. With Inter sitting on 11 losses in 7th place in the Serie A, there are definitely going to be changes.
Why do college players wear t-shirts under their jerseys? - Garrett M., Boston, MA
Photo Credit: uni-watch.com
I know you and I brainstormed this a bit the other day. Some of our better ideas:
*They don't want their mom and dad to see their tattoos.
*To hide back acne.
*To avoid chafed nipples.
*Hides the lack of muscles.
*Jerseys are too big.
*Economics. A 6-pack of t-shirts from Walmart is like $3.
*Limits opposing players' access to chest hair.
*Absorbs sweat better than jersey does keeping hands dry.
*Advertising. Hanes pays the bills.
*Sex appeal. Sometimes showing less skin is worth more.
*Some of the gyms are really, really cold.
*Longer sleeves go better with longer shorts.
Anyone out there know the real reason? Assuming of course that we didn't already nail it with one of our guesses.
Was Charles Barkley good at basketball? What made him effective? I don't remember him being super athletic even in his prime, but he was highly effective. - Garrett M., Boston, MA
Let's go to the video tape:
Charles Barkley was an absolute beast in his heyday. In 16 NBA seasons, he averaged at least 10 rebounds per game 15 times and is the shortest player in league history to lead the league in rebounding which he did during the 1986-87 season with 14.6 a game. Dwight Howard (14.9 rpg) is the only player this season averaging more rebounds than that.
A prolific and proficient scorer, Sir Charles shot 54% from the field including a ridiculous 60% during the 1989-90 season. He played in 11 All-Star Games, won an MVP, won two Gold Medals... He was even a good passer averaging nearly 4 assists a game over his career. The guy did it all.
So how did he do it? This guy was the ultimate mismatch. He was too strong for the smaller players to handle him and he was too quick for the bigger players to stay with him. He's kind of the shorter stockier version of the Ron Artest/LeBron James breed of athlete. So Barkley was like the Defensive Tackle to LeBron's Defensive End. The biggest difference with Barkley though is wherever he lacked in skill, he made up for it in desire. He said it himself in the video. No one worked harder than him.
So to make a long story short yes, the Round Mound of Rebound was good at basketball. To say anything less would be uncivilized.
Special thanks as always to everyone who wrote in this week. Also a big shoutout to G$ Meyer for the mailbag's new tagline: "Reading is for Winners, especially when you read Smitty's Mailbag." Got a question for the mailbag? Click on the link at the top of the page or email us directly at smittysports.blogspot@hotmail.com.
If you're a fan of Barcelona vs Real Madrid then you're going to be happy with the quarterfinal draw of this year's UEFA Champions League. The two Spanish powers find themselves on opposite sides of the bracket meaning they can't face each other until the Finals. The first leg of the quarterfinals will be played on 27-28 March with the return matches on April 3-4. Here's a look at the bracket:
Today's conclusion of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 means there are just 8 teams remaining in Europe's most prestigious club tournament. A quick recap of the Round of 16 and a look at what's to come:
BARCELONA 10 BAYER LEVERKUSEN 2
Photo Credit: nationalturk.com
Lionel Messi scored 6 goals in the series highlighted by an historic 5-goal game in the second leg as Barcelona easily won both matches by scores of 3-1 and 7-1. Messi leads all scorers in the Champions League with 12 goals.
Before today no one had ever scored 5 goals in a UEFA Champions League Match. 4 goals? Sure. Lots of players, including one Lionel Messi, have done that with Messi accomplishing the feat against Arsenal back in 2010. Today Messi set the bar a little bit higher scoring FIVE TIMES against Bayer Leverkusen as Barcelona routed their German opponents 7-1 with Leverkusen's only goal coming in the 90th minute.
Photo Credit: thestar.com
"Without Messi, Barca is the best team," Leverkusen coach Robin Dutt said. "And with him, they are in another galaxy."
The
three-time FIFA player of the year scored in the 25th, 42nd, 49th, 58th and 84th minutes for the first five-goal game
of his professional career. It marked the 17th time in his 8 seasons with the Spanish powerhouse that Messi has scored at least 3 goals in a game and he has now scored an astonishing 48 goals in 42 games for Barcelona this season. Messi's recent run of success hasn't been limited to just playing with Barcelona either as he tallied his first hat trick for Argentina last week in a 3-1 win over Switzerland.
Barcelona is among 4 teams to have already clinched a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals joining AC Milan (Italy), Benfica (Portugal) and APOEL Nicosia (Cyprus).
Headline in Boston: "Valentine focuses on fundamentals"
The latest news from Sox training camp is Bobby Valentine's focus on fundamentals and making the players work hard... what are they talking about? What are the fundamentals of baseball and how do you train for them? Are there coaches out there that DON'T focus on hard work and fundamentals? If so, what do those camps look like? - Garrett M., Boston, MA
When you talk 'fundamentals' in baseball you're talking about bunting, hitting behind runners, taking infield/outfield, baserunning, fielding drills for pitchers, etc. It's not other teams DON'T focus on that kind of stuff, but some of these more veteran clubs tend to give the players more leeway in spring training. To some extent it's accepted that these guys are professionals and they're going to be able to do what it takes to get themselves ready for the season. When you look at the Red Sox team last year, it was a lot of veteran guys and while some teams are able to police themselves, it's pretty evident that things in Boston broke down last year. So Bobby Valentine is doing what he has to to bring the guys back in, and get them focused. Think Lou Brown and Major League.
Photo Credit: sportsfixchicago.com
The only difference is that Lou's mustache was real:
Photo Credit: savagetruth.blogharbor.com
I get frustrated when I see professional basketball players miss free throws consistently... if you or I put an hour each day into shooting free throws, we could probably eventually shoot 85-90%... we don't, so we can't... but what is the excuse of a professional basketball player? - Garrett M., Boston, MA
Photo Credit: nydailynews.com
Honestly, I have no idea. I mean guess I'm willing to give some of the shot blocking types, who are only in the league because they're big and who will just never be coordinated enough to shoot a basketball straight, a pass. And I suppose I'm willing to buy off on the argument that it's hard to shoot for some of these guys who just have enormous hands - I mean it's a lot easier for me to shoot a basketball than it is a golf ball. But for a lot of these guys, I don't know what their problem is. I mean look at some of these percentages:
Of the 123 players with enough free throw attempts to qualify for the league lead, only 4 (Anthony Morrow, J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford, Ray Allen) are shooting over 90%. It's hard to say why. I don't really know what teams work on in practice, but you would think the best basketball players IN THE WORLD could make an uncontested shot from 15 feet nine times out of ten. Games are won and lost on the free throw line, and if you're the Magic or the Clippers, each of whom misses an average of about 8 free throws a game, that could be the difference in being a pretty good team and a championship team. And if you don't believe me on how important free throws are, just take it from Chuck. Make, make, make, make, make, make, make your free throws!
Which team is going to be moved to Seattle? Will they reassume the name Super Sonics (I think the "Super" was dropped in the late 90s)? Is it alright for me to still be pissed that Seattle should have the Championship contending team and not OK City? - Garrett M., Boston, MA
The two leading candidates are the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Hornets, but neither one is a sure thing to move. That said, I'd be shocked if at some point we didn't see an NBA franchise back in Seattle. As for whether or not it will be the SuperSonics, it's hard to say. Personally I like the sound of it. Some very nice alliteration. And it's not as if there isn't a precedent for something like this. See Cleveland Browns, Washington Senators, Winnipeg Jets, etc.
Photo Credit: probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com
In the meantime, yeah Seattle got a pretty raw deal here so you have a right to be pissed off. Just like Cleveland fans can be pissed off about the Baltimore Ravens leaving and winning a Super Bowl while their championship drought continues. Same deal with the fans of the L.A. Rams, Minnesota North Stars, Quebec Nordiques, and possibly in the near future the Montreal Expos. But hey, on the bright side it's not as though Seattle has been devoid of championship basketball since the Sonics left. Give it up for Sue Bird and 2010 WNBA Champion Seattle Storm!!
Photo Credit: sportsillustrated.cnn.com
What is the legitimacy of the NFL combine? Are the stats and measurements taken strong indicators of future performance? Which stats for which positions are the best indicators (eg - Chris Johnson ran a 4.28 40-yard dash... he was good for a little bit then screwed my Fantasy team... or Brady Quinn... he probably rep'd a ton on the bench but now is backup to Tebow)? - Garrett M., Boston, MA
Ok, first I think it's funny that we talk about what a bad season Chris Johnson just had despite the fact that he ran for over 1000 yards. Now I get it that his yards per carry were down, he was limited to just 4 total touchdowns, and he was held to under 35 yards rushing in six of Tennessee's sixteen games. That coupled with the fact he just got paid a ridiculous amount of money this past offseason equates to disappointment and that's fair. But it wasn't that long ago that they had football cards commemorate 1000 yards rushing/receiving seasons. Am I the only one that remembers that? Check out this Barry Sanders card from 1989.
Photo Credit: freewebs.com
And yeah, if you have good vision, that does say that Sanders ran for a whopping 1 yard against the Steelers in Week 4. I looked it up, it really happened. Anyhow, enough about Chris Johnson...
I don't think you can argue that the combine isn't at least somewhat legitimate. The problem is that it doesn't necessarily tell you how good of a football player someone's going to be as you pointed out, it just evaluates a player's athletic ability. And sometimes, that isn't enough. You can't purely look at combine results and figure out who the better player is going to be. And even with all the stats and combine results, teams still miss a lot of the time. Check out these undrafted players:
2010 - LeGarrette Blount, Sam Shields, Chris Ivory, Jake Ballard, Victor Cruz
2009 - Arian Foster, Kahlil Bell, Isaac Redman
2008 - Danny Amendola, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead, Davone Bess
2007 - Matt Moore, Pierre Thomas, Eric Weems
2006 - Miles Austin, Brent Grimes, Tramon Williams
2005 - Josh Cribbs, John Kuhn, Cameron Wake
2004 - Malcom Floyd, Jabari Greer, Vonta Leach, Willie Parker, Wes Welker
2003 - Gary Brackett, Kris Dielman, Antonio Gates, Fred Jackson, Tony Romo
And that's just a snapshot of the list. And some of these guys aren't just good NFL players, they're ridiculous NFL players. How'd every team miss on that many guys? Is it too much looking at numbers?
At the 2009 NFL combine, Arian Foster (Tennessee) ran a 4.56 40 and put up 225 lbs 23 times at the bench press station. Cedric Peerman (Virginia) ran a 4.45 40 and did 27 reps and just for good measure added a 40" vertical. The Baltimore Ravens drafted Peerman in the 6th round. Foster went undrafted. Peerman has 5 carries in 3 seasons. Foster led the NFL in rushing in 2010 and has made 2 Pro Bowls.
Photo Credit: sports.espn.go.com
In 2008 BenJarvus Green-Ellis (Mississippi) ran a 4.62 40 and did 24 reps at the bench press station and had a 30.5 inch vertical. Cory Boyd (South Carolina) ran a 4.52, did 25 reps and jumped 33.5 inches. Tampa Bay took Boyd in the 7th round. Green-Ellis went undrafted. Neither player has ever fumbled in the NFL. The only difference is that Boyd played in one NFL game while Green-Ellis has 510 carries and 29 touchdowns over the past four seasons.
Some guys get discounted because of speed and strength, and others (Welker, Amendola, Woodhead, Bess) lose out because of size... I guess when it comes down to it, my point is that none of these numbers can really tell you if someone's going to be a good football player or not. They're helpful tools in evaluating, but things like running routes, making tackles, breaking tackles, catching passes in traffic, pass blocking... all that stuff can't be measured at the combine. So while the combine represents a piece of the puzzle, unless you're looking for guys to play exclusively on special teams, it's not worth planning your draft around the results in my opinion.
Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com
CSKA Moscow started their third
choice keeper this week versus Real Madrid. Their reserve keeper is only 16 years
old. Who's the youngest keeper ever to start a Champions League match? - Cory
L., Raceland, LA
So far I haven't been able to find the answer for this one. I can tell you that Spanish keeper Iker Casillas is the youngest keeper to play in and win a Champions League final, which he did for Real Madrid 4 days after his 19th birthday. Casillas, like CSKA Moscow's Sergey Revyakin, also dressed for a Champions League game at the age of 16 but didn't play.
Photo Credit: ru.wikipedia.org
The youngest field player ever to play in the tournament was Anderlecht's Celestine Babayaro who at age 16 (and 87 days) started against Steaua București on the 23rd of November
1994. He left quite an impression too as he was sent off in the 37th minute.
Photo Credit: anderlechtshirts.com
Is Walter Samuel a Ukrainian mob boss? I mean just look at the guy. He looks like he's ready to break someone's kneecaps at a moment's notice. - Cory L., Raceland, LA
I don't think mob bosses break knee caps. I think they have guys who do that for them. One of the perks of being the boss, you know? Plus this is what google tells me a Ukrainian mob boss looks like:
Photo Credit: mafiaslugger.blogspot.com
But could Samuel be an underling? Some sort of hitman? Let's look at the evidence. First of all, his name is Walter, and he's from... Argentina? Well, that's obviously fake. And check out his smile:
Photo Credit: forum.soccermanager.com
That just screams cold-blooded killer. Kind of reminds me of this guy from Behind Enemy Lines:
Photo Credit: giantbomb.com
However, in the interest of not drawing attention from the Ukrainian mob, let's just pretend we never had this conversation.
What are the odds of seeing a Diego Forlan or a Michael Owen in MLS? I think both of these guys would be really exciting to watch and would draw more viewers to the league. - Cory L., Raceland, LA
It's hard to say, and at this point it's probably too early to tell. Forlán is in the first year of a two year deal he signed with Internazionale, and if his interview with Il Cacha is any indication, he isn't planning on leaving any time soon: "I still have several years of my contract remaining and I will respect them. I
want to stay in Europe a little longer after that and then, permitting
my physical condition, I will return to South America." That said, he was linked to the Seattle Sounders as recently as last year, so things can change. Would he be a good addition to the league? Absolutely. He's going to be 33 this spring, but this is a guy who won the Golden Ball at the World Cup in 2010 and has scored over 200 goals for club and country. We've seen the kind of impact aging stars like Thierry Henry and David Beckham have had on MLS. Forlán could have a similar impact if he chose to come here.
Photo Credit: football.bloguez.com
Much of the same could be said for Michael Owen, except that Owen's future in Europe is more in doubt. Owen is on a one year deal with Manchester United, but has only appeared in 4 games across all competitions this year. Owen just turned 32 and finds himself at the far end of the United bench. While it would seem like he's ripe for the picking when his contract expires, there are those that question Owen's passion for the game and some speculate that he might throw in the towel if he doesn't catch on with a big time club. So to answer your question, I don't know that the odds are great for getting either player, but if I had to pick one of them Owen's contract situation makes it more likely that he'll join MLS.
Photo Credit: soccerforeva.blogspot.com
I know it's a little early to be talking about next season, but if you're Sir Alex, what do you do with Dimitar Berbatov next year? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: maofootball.wordpress.com
Speaking of forwards stuck at the end of Manchester United's bench... I actually think Sir Alex's decision has already been made having stated in December that they intended to exercise their option on Berbatov for the upcoming season. While Berbatov has certainly seen his playing time drop off this year, he's still a valuable asset. Even in diminished minutes, Berbatov's proved to be a potent scorer as evidenced by his 7 goals in his last 5 Premier League appearances. I don't know that Berbatov will stick around beyond next year though. Bayer Leverkusen, mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain and Anzhi Makhachkala (Russia) have all expressed interest in the Bulgarian striker and in addition to being able to offer him cash, they'll also be able to offer him minutes, something that may be hard for him to turn down.
As always, a special thanks to all those who wrote in this week. Got a question for
the mailbag? Email us at smittysports.blogspot@hotmail.com.
Jeremy Lin: the next Nash or Rondo or someone else? - Garret M., Boston, MA
A whole lotta hype around Jeremy Lin. In your opinion is he the real deal? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: businessinsider.com
Figured I'd answer both of these questions together. Is Jeremy Lin a legitimate NBA point guard? Absolutely. Is he among the Top 5 point guards in the league? No. At least, not right now. The name that draws the most realistic comparisons with Lin is probably Steve Nash. While Nash is a much better shooter, Lin's game is similar and their styles of play are both ideal for a Mike D'Antoni offense. In 4 years with D'Antoni in Phoenix, Nash led the league in assists three times, won two MVPs, made 4 all star teams, won 3 Pacific Division Titles and twice made it to the Conference Finals. I'm not suggesting that Lin is going to be a future NBA MVP, but if he ends up somewhere in the 16 points 8 assists per game range (over his last 10 games he's averaged 24.6 and 9.2), that'll be enough to keep him in the league for a long time. The one real knock on his game right now is the turnovers (so far he has a 9 turnover game, two 8 turnover games, a 7 turnover game, and three 6 turnover games), so he's going to need to clean that up. But you have to assume that some of that will improve with experience so at this point I wouldn't worry about it too much.
Is La Liga the most lopsided league in Europe, or am I crazy? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: football-soccernews.blogspot.com
With Barcelona and Real Madrid as dominant as they are, there's certainly an argument that that's the case, but I'm going to throw another league out there instead: The Scottish Premier League. Glasgow clubs Rangers and Celtic have combined for 96 titles in league history while no other team has ever won more than four. The two teams have combined to win the last 26 titles in Scotland and Celtic appears to be pretty much a lock to win the league again this year. Since the Premier League was founded prior to the 1998-99 season, there's only been one time where Celtic and Rangers didn't both finish in the top 2 (Hearts finished second in 2005-06), and even then Rangers still finished in third. There's a similar disparity in Spain with Real Madrid and Barcelona combining for 52 league titles while no other team has reached double digits, but the gap in Scotland between the haves and have nots is much greater.
Was that the first time a team managed to score THREE own goals in a game? I'm speaking of Brighton and Hove of course - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com
Actually, no. In 2002 in Madagascar's THB Champions League, AS Adema defeated SOE Antananarivo by a score of 149–0 when SOE scored 149 own goals in protest of a referee's decision. AS Adema did not get possession of the ball at any point between the 1st and 149th goals. Other than that, three seems to be about the maximum highlighted (or lowlighted) by Stan van den Buys scoring a negative hat trick in
1995 while playing for Belgian team Germinal Ekeren. Van den Buys was responsible for all 3 of Anderlecht's
goals in a 3-2 loss.
With John Terry projected to be out for 6 weeks after knee surgery, what does this mean for Chelsea's Champions League hopes? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: soccerplay.net
After today's 3-1 loss to Napoli, it probably doesn't matter. The reality is that Chelsea hasn't been playing good football following their win over Manchester City in mid-December. They've won just two Premier League matches in 10 tries, and recently failed to beat Birmingham at home in the 5th Round of the FA Cup. So the reality is Chelsea getting blown out by Napoli today shouldn't come as much of a surprise. What The Blues needs to be concerned about is the fact that they're currently in 5th place in the Premier League which means a spot in the 2012-13 Champions League is in serious jeopardy. Terry's absence will hurt them, but ultimately Chelsea needs to get more out of strikers Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba who have combined to score just 5 goals this season. Just two seasons ago those two combined to find the back of the net 47 times.
Special thanks to all those who wrote in this week. Got a question for
the mailbag? Email us at smittysports.blogspot@hotmail.com.
