New Years Resolutions

Here are some New Years resolutions for some LSF teams:

Los Angeles Angels - Don't celebrate walk-off homers too much, and find the pop in the bats. And possibly, fire Mike Scioscia.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Find some consistency in the pitching. Guys like Billingsley and Kershaw have some of the best stuff in the NL, but are all over the map as far as performance (moreso Billingsley than Kershaw). Ted Lilly has been known for roller coaster seasons as well. Broxton had a very strange year.

Toronto Blue Jays - Figure out the Florida Marlins formula. The Jays will be a medium budget team for quite some time - they need to figure out how to reap the most from their farm system and scout younger players from other organizations. Brett Lawrie could be a good pickup.

Vancouver Canucks - Win the big ones. They've consistently been on of the best teams in the regular season, but can't seem to pull it off when it matters the most.

Toronto Maple Leafs - Be bold with moves for offensive players. Picking up Phaneuf and Giguere were very good acquisitions - but when your team can't score goals the defense can only do so much. Phil Kessel has been good, but not great. They could use a Rick Nash-type player.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Let the players' performance dictate who starts. Tommy Rees was not as highly touted out of high school as Jimmy Claussen or Dayne Crist, but who cares what they did back then. College is a different game, so wipe the slate clean. Also, give Manti Te'o some help on defense (today's Sun Bowl looks like they're on the right track).

USC Trojans - Figure out the Tampa 2, blitz more often, call better plays, and don't rely on high school talent. Lots to discuss here, I'll probably save it for another entry.

Johns Hopkins Blue Jays - Do some better recruiting. Too many elite players are deciding that Hopkins isn't the right place for them.

St. Louis Rams - Get some better receivers for Sam Bradford. Similar to how Joe Flacco benefited from have TJ Houshmanzadeh and Anquan Boldin this year, a big play making WR or two would really make the Rams and Stephen Jackson more dangerous.

Baltimore Ravens - Find a long-term replacement for Ray Lewis, and win the big games. Ray Ray is getting older and fatter - and Sergio Kindle may miss another season. Unfortunately this year's draft is devoid of All-Pro potential inside linebackers, and Paul Posluzsny is the only high caliber who's still young enough to be considered a franchise LB. Not sure if he has the nastiness and mean streak to fill in for Ray though.

Boston Celtics - Don't depend on KG to get you through the playoffs. He's already out for a couple weeks now with an injury, and at his age and frailty is bound to be injured for the playoffs again. Big Baby won't get the job done for an NBA title either.

Los Angeles Clippers - Trade Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, and any other young, high potential players not named Blake Griffin. In return, get a perimeter player who is willing and able to take over games the way the Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, and Chris Paul do. Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker, or Josh Selby could do. Of those three, I think Walker would make the most dangerous combo with Griffin.

Los Angeles Lakers - Beat the teams you're supposed to beat, get some sort of offensive contribution from Ron Artest, and keep Andrew Bynum healthy. They got the shit kicked out of them on Christmas day last year and look how that turned out.

Newcastle - By all means do not sell Andy Carroll. Instead, get him more creative help in the midfield.

I wrote up more for Chelsea, Man Utd, and Everton, but Blogspot just lost them when I tried to publish. Oh well.

In Other Unimportant News...

...I'm taking Florida State with the points, Central Florida in an upset with their points and Clemson to cover.

But don't pretend that any of these games hold a candle to the clash of the titans.

Well, It's A Good Thing Nothing Exciting Happened Today

So I forgot to post, no big deal. There were not a bunch of close games today, and you should be glad I didn't bore you with my picks.

I had Army losing, NC losing (simply because of my five way parley they thought it would be fun to screw up), Washington losing (though I did come close to picking my boy Locker in his swan song), and Syracuse getting worked.

All of those were wrong. I feel like a Dufresne right now.

But that's all water under the bridge now as the new day rekindles the Catholics versus Convicts rivalry we're all too young to fully appreciate.

Miami is favored by three in this Sun Bowl and I'm taking that shit all day long. I'll be honest, I've looked up nothing about this game, but sometimes there's more to enjoying sports than sound analysis. Go Irish!

Is Patrick Kaleta the top LSF hockey player?

As the year comes to a close, the hockey season starts to heat up. I though it might be fun to provoke a little more conversation by exploring who is the best hockey player between the four LSF teams. And no, it's not Patrick Kaleta.

Let's start by taking a look at the LSF hockey teams, and how they've been doing.

LSF NHL Standings:

Tommy's Vancouver Canucks: 49 points

Jon's Chicago Blackhawks: 43 points

Brandon's Buffalo Sabres: 34 points

Andrew's Toronto Maple Leafs: 30 points

It's kind of amazing when you look at things. I'm a little surprised that the Western squads are flat out dominating the Easterns, and I'm also surprised that the Sabres have overtaken the Leafs after the starts that both teams had. To get a picture of how the teams have been playing recently, we'll look at the L10 and the current streaks:

Tommy's Vancouver Canucks: 8-0-2, won last 3

Jon's Chicago Blackhawks: 6-3-1, lost last 1

Brandon's Buffalo Sabres: 4-5-1, won last 1

Andrew's Toronto Maple Leafs: 4-6-0, lost last 1

Clearly, my Canucks have been ripping and roaring through the month of December, but that doesn't mean that they definitely have the best player of the four teams. Let's take a pick of the top two players from each team so far this season and go from there (we won't include goalies):

Canucks two best players: Henrik Sedin (47 points) and Daniel Sedin (45 points)

Blackhawks two best players: Patrick Sharp (36 points) and Jonathan Toews (33 points)

Sabres two best players: Derek Roy (35 points) and Thomas Vanek (25 points)

Leafs two best players: Mikhail Grabovski (27 points) and Clarke MacArthur (27 points)

There are a couple of things that jump out at me when I look at these names. First, I don't have any idea who either of the Leafs "top" players are. Secondly, the decision between the two players to pick the best player on each team is actually pretty hard. But, to move on in this discussion, we have to pick one player from each team and explain why:

Vancouver's top 2010/2011 performer: Daniel Sedin:

Right, he has less points that his brother. But, Hank, as usual, has been piling up assists rather than goals. Henrik has 39 assists to boost that point total, while Daniel has put up a team leading (tied with Ryan Kesler, who may have a claim to this title as well) 19 goals among his 45 points. Daniel has put up 3 times the power play goals that Hank has put in, twice the game winners, and is +7.2% better at shooting than his equally aged brother. Thus, I'm going to give the title to Daniel.

Chicago's top 2010/2011 performer: Patrick Sharp:

Easy choice over Jonathan "Taves." Sharpie has 5 more goals, 2 shorties compared to zero by Toews, and a thrilling 5 game winners. On the other hand, Toews is a +7 while Sharp is a -8, but I'm still going to go with the left winger.

Buffalo's top 2010/2011 performer: Derek Roy

I would probably defer to Brandon on this one. Vanek does have a 13-10 goal lead on Roy, but Roy has put up 10 more points and is only a -1 compared to Vanek's -12. All that with way more time on ice (19:32/game vs. 17:18/game). He also has 6 points in his last 5 games, and I think is a little underrated. Am I right? Roy is underrated compared to Vanek?

Toronto's top 2010/2011 performer: Mikhail Grabovski

This was kind of a toss up, but a nearly even 13 goal 14 assist split for this center and a +1 rating really made me lean toward Grabs over Mac Arthur. He also is a 14+% with shooting, and he's German. My wife is half German, so that scores some point for me. But, I wonder, why did he play for Belarus in the 2010 Olympics?

Now comes the hard part. How do we separate these guys and decide who has had the best seasons so far? Let's go with points per shift to determine who is the greatest so far. We can compare many things, but I think this stat of production per shift on ice over the year so far is a good way to see what kind of fear a player can strike fear into the heart of their foes.

Daniel Sedin: 0.540 points/shift

Partick Sharp: 0.0377 points/shift

Derek Roy: 0.0452 points/shift

Mikhail Grabovski: 0.0345 points/shift

So, my semi-made-up stat would lead us to believe that Daniel Sedin is the best player between the four LSF hockey teams. I'm sure you're all saying, yeah, of course you pick a Canuck as the best player out of our four teams. Or, if you're a little more realistic, you agree that Daniel is the best, and heap praise on him like I do. I guess a little more evidence might help sway you non-believers. Let's look at a Tommy favorite, the lovely +/- rating.

Daniel Sedin: +12

Patrick Sharp: -8

Derek Roy: -1

Mikhail Grabovski: +1

That's a pretty amazing comparison, showing even more how Daniel is the best of the four. Let the arguments begin. What do you think? You don't like my stats? You don't like the players I've selected as the best from each team? Or, do you just agree with me? Either way, let me see those comments.

Congratulations, Danny.

Who is today's top LSF MLB team?

In an attempt to do more thought/argument provoking posts rather than game recaps (as I sadly seem to fall into quite often), and to cure my December 29 hankering for some baseball, I thought I'd explore which LSF MLB team is in the best spot for the 2011 season if it started today. I don't pretend to be an expert in any teams other than my own, so I'm sure the comments will be flying on this one, but let's see what we can come up with.

Andrew's Toronto Blue Jays

Record last season: 85-77

Place last season: 4th in AL East, 11 GB.

Last season's best: Jose Bautista

Last season's worst: Brian Tallet

Subtractions: Kevin "Big Ticket" Gregg, John Buck, Scott Downs, Lyle Overbay, Shaun Marcum.

Additions: Octavio Dotel, Miguel Olivo, Rajai Davis, Brett Lawrie, Corey Patterson, Carlos Villanueva.

The thing about last season: In GM (Greek Manager) Alex Anthropoulos' first year on the job, the Jays did as well as anyone would expect. Finishing 8 games over .500 would make most fans happy, but in the AL East it's nothing more than a distant fourth place finish. In a season where Robby Alomar had his number retired, the Jays put up a +27 run differential, a 54 jack bomber in Jose Bautista, and four pitchers with double digit wins. Even with the complete zero chance of making the playoffs, if I were a fan, I'd be at least somewhat happy.

The outlook for next season: Probably the easiest of the three teams to predict, you'd have to agree that the Jays will finish 4th again in 2011 (I'll say 3rd is the best case scenario). They might be over .500, they might be below .500, they might be giants. But they aren't going to win the division. No way, no how. I'd hope that Blue Jay fans of the 21st century have come to terms with that by now. How does 83-79 sound?

Brandon and Jon's Los Angeles Dodgers

Record last season: 80-82

Place last season: 4th in NL West, 12 GB.

Last season's best: Clayton Kershaw

Last season's worst: Charlie Haeger

Subtractions: Scottie "Too Hottie" Podsednik, Brad Ausmus, Jay Gibbons, Reed Johnson, Ryan Theriot, Jeff Weaver.

Additions: Jon Garland, Juan Uribe, Blake Hawksworth, Tony Gwynn Jr, Dioner Navarro, Matt Guerrier.

The thing about last season: The Doyers didn't really live up to expectations last year, and it seemed like quite the frustrating campaign for their fans. A run differential of -25, a stall out when it seemed the division was in reach, and a divorce court case that seemed to grab infinitely more headlines that the actual team. From the season opening blowout loss at the hands of the Pirates to Andre Ethier's pinkie, it was definitely a down year. Of course, there were bright spots. A walk off Matt Kemp 10th inning jack in that pitching duel between then-non-Angel Dan Haren and John Ely, the acquisition of Ted Lilly and the Quiet Riot, and a memorable 15-9 offensive explosion against Philly. All in all though, it was a disappointing year for the Blue Crew.

The outlook for next season: Wow. Picking a winner in the NL West may be one of the most difficult tasks in all of 2011 baseball prognostication. The Giants would have to have everything go perfectly to have a repeat division championship. Despite what Buddy Black says, the Padres seem to have given up all hope 3 months before the season even starts. I'm pretty sure the Diamondbacks still suck (sorry, Saunders). If I had to put my actual, hard earned money on it, I think I'd probably go with the Colorado Rockies. Is that crazy? As for the Dodgers, they have pretty much just as good of a chance of any of the other aforementioned squads, in my humble opinion. How about 88-74? Is that too good?

Tommy's Los Angeles Angels

Record last season: 80-82

Place last season: #3 in AL West, 10 GB.

Last season's best: Jered Weaver

Last season's worst: Brandon Wood

Subtractions: Hideki Matsui and Scot Shields.

Additions: Hisanori Takahashi and Scott Downs.

The thing about last season: I've talked a whole heck of a lot about last season, so you know how I feel. I, probably more than most "real" Angel fans, held out hope that they would stage some kind of crazy comeback last season. I held out that hope, even when it was pretty clear that they had no chance. What was I thinking? A -21 run differential was pretty awful, but despite that, we still held the 2nd best attendance in the entire American League. It was a season that went from an opening day win, to all of the horrible outings by Scott Kazmir, to the failure that is known as Brandon Wood, to the pleasant surprise of Peter Bourjos, to the end of Fuentes and fear of Rodney as his replacement. Dan Haren came aboard and pitched well with no run support. Paul McAnulty hit a home run in his first AB with the team, and then showed his true colors as a fat dummy. What a roller coaster of a season. But, I don't think I'd find any disagreement when I say that the Angels had a bad, bad season.  

The outlook for next season: Maybe when I said that the NL West was the most difficult to predict, I should have thought about the AL West. Let's be honest. The Mariners are going to suck again, no matter what ESPN declares before the season starts. However, I think the "real" media is going to be all over the A's. Oakland has made some "key" acquisitions, but really they haven't picked up anybody that good. Hideki Matsui, Rich Harden, etc aren't going to do very much. But just watch, ESPN will pick them...I can feel it. The Rangers would be the obvious choice, but I feel the same about them as I do about San Francisco. In fact, if the Rangers go ahead and sign Adrian Beltre, I think that will seal the deal that they won't win the division. So, where does that leave the Angels? Even being the die hard fan that I am, I don't really see anything better than 82-82. 

There you have my reviews, previews, and free views. I know it wasn't like me, not having very many stats, but I hope it provokes some kind of argument or conversation. 

I apologize for developing a really bad habit of not wanting to proofread. I hope to make that my "blogging New Year's resolution" (because I know I'll be sure to break it). 

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Three Bowl Games for your New Year's Eve Eve Eve

Northrup Grumman Military Bowl: Washington, D.C., USA, 12/29/10, 11:30am
East Carolina (6-6) v. Maryland (8-4)
Maryland favored by 8

This is a tough game for me. I am a semi-believer in the Terrapins, but the coaching change business has me wondering. Also, they're everyone's hot pick, so the desire to go against is pretty big.

The East Carolina Pirates have arguable the worst defense in the FBS. That says a lot. Then again, that's a stat that holds a bit less weight to me what with weeks of preparation for the bowl game. Surely, the coaches know what' s going on and are addressing it.

The pick: Maryland - they have way too many athletes.

The line: I look for a Maryland lull, I'll take the points.

Texas Bowl: Houston, TX, USA, 12/29/10, 3pm
Baylor (7-5) v. Illinois (6-6)
Illinois favored by 2

Missouri showed me something last night: beware the Big 10? Well, compared to the Big 12 this year, yeah, maybe. I thought Mizzou would roll, but Iowa took it to them. Sure, a late INT RET TD is what did it, but Iowa wasn't about to let this game get out of hand.

It's dangerous to apply that game to this one, but I feel that the Fightin' Illini are a similar team to Iowa. Also, the Baylor Bears fought through a weak year in the Big 12 to earn their 7-5 mark.

The pick: Illinois - they are a good team. Not so much record-wise, but they are one of those teams that can play with anyone if they show up to play. Since they've had weeks to prepare their travel accommodations, I'm betting they do.

The line: And they cover.

Valero Alamo Bowl: San Antonio, TX, USA, 12/29/10, 6:15 pm
Arizona (7-5) v. Oklahoma State (10-2)
Oklahoma St favored by 5

Man, I thought Arizona was going to be the team to knock off Oregon this year. In fact, I thought they weren't getting much love when they were 4-0 to start the season, or even when they were 7-1 with a two point loss to a preseason top 25 Oregon State.

As much as I'd like to launch into a "how does it make any sense that a one loss Arizona ranks three spots behind a two loss LSU" shpeal, the Wildcats responded by losing the last four games of the season.

Still, they have a great offense led by Nick Foles, who can throw on anyone, and solid D. Is it enough to beat the Cowboys?

Well, Okie State is, in popular opinion, a great team. They've only lost to Nebraska and Oklahoma and both games were close. That said, their schedule was super soft, and they didn't knock anyone substantial around (does Baylor count?). They have played much more consistently than Arizona, and in a game like this that can count for a lot.

The pick: It's very tempting to take Arizona, being that they've had time to refocus and believe in themselves again. I just kind of feel that a final, close loss is what will define this season for them. Okla State.

The line: Such a close one to call, so I'll take the generous five points.

5 Bold Predictions for Notre Dame 2011.

Finally some time to squeeze in a brief post over this lovely holiday week! A couple of cool things have happened since my last post:

The Canucks bounced back to beat Columbus, Edmonton, and Philly after their OT loss to Detroit...and they did it by a combined score of 16-7.

The Rams busted the 49'ers, leading to SF's defensive minded coach being fired, and setting up the winner take all NFC West Championship game against the USC Seahawks on Sunday.

The Celtics just keep on rolling, as they bounced back from the Christmas Day loss to the Magic with another win over the Pacers. 24-5 compared to the Clippers 10-22.

Well, in order to get people to read the blog, you have to put some bold predictions up. Brandon has been doing it throughout the Bowl Season during his annual blog binge. I tried to do it with the image I created above, suggesting that there may be a shot that Tommy Rees could be the Sun Bowl MVP, but probably not. And now, I've decided to bring you 5 bold predictions for Notre Dame for 2011 (and 12/31/10). None of these will probably come true, but hopefully you'll forget that I wrote this post by the time I've proven wrong.

ESPN's Accuscore Projections selects Miami as the favorite in the Sun Bowl by 60%. Las Vegas has the Hurricanes as 3 point favorites. I just don't understand this at all. The Fighting Irish may have finished the season 7-5 and faced horrible situations left and right, but to me, they are clearly better than Miami at this point. Despite losing their starting QB, NFL read TE, and studly RB, the Irish ripped off their last three wins, and they weren't really against chumps. Notre Dame busted #14 Utah, Army, and USC. Meanwhile, Miami has fired their head coach after their 7-5 season (5-3 in the ACC), and are coming off of two losses. They dropped one to #16 Va Tech and then lost on the way out to South Florida. Why does everyone think the Irish are going to lose this game?

Bold Prediction #1: Notre Dame will beat Miami by at least 14 points in the Sun Bowl.

I don't think anyone will agree with me, but I think we have a legitimate QB controversy at Notre Dame in 2011. Yes, I will agree that Dayne Crist was pretty good before he got hurt against Tulsa. He finished with 2,000+ passing yards, 15 TDs, 7 INTs, and a 59.2 COMP%. Tommy Rees, meanwhile, threw for 900+ yards, 10 TDs, 8 INTs, and a 63 COMP% in pretty much 3 games (all wins). Now, I think everyone out there is going to say that Crist easily gets the job in 2011, but I just don't see it that way. I think Saint Thomas is the guy. How can you pass up a guy who beat a #14 team and then busted USC for the first time in a billion years? Doesn't that earn him the job right away (plus, he's a native of Lake Forest...Illinois)? I know Dayne will be a Senior, and I know that putting him at the 2 spot would crush his NFL dreams, but I just don't know.

Bold Prediction #2: Tommy Rees will be the 2011 starting QB for the Irish.

Much has been said about who will be staying and who will be leaving next year, and I'm really hoping that the studs we all love will stick around for the next go around. With 916 yards and 10 TDs, Michael Floyd has impressed everyone yet again, and the Saint Paul native has raised the thought of going to the NFL next season because of his size, speed, and talents (see memories of Golden Tate). The 21 year old was out of the Navy game with an injury, and played through some of the other matches with nagging problems. He had 5 or less catches in 5 games, and only grabbed the ball 4 times (for 39 yards) in the Utah "upset", 3 times in the huge Yankees Stadium Army game. I have always been a bad predictor of when a guy might leave early, but I really think he still has something to prove at the college level before heading into the draft. I'd have to think the same thing for Kyle Rudolph The Red Nosed Tight End.

Bold Prediction #3: Floyd and Rudolph will return for the Senior years.

As you know, I usually do a full season preview for Notre Dame shortly after the season completely ends (some time in January), but I think it's worth it to look the schedule over right now. We face Southern Florida, Michigan, MSU, Pitt, Purdue, Air Force, USC, Navy, Wake Forest, Maryland, Boston College, and Stanford in that order next season. If Floyd and Rudolph return, you can add that to the small steps forward by Brian Kelly this season to make a solid season next year. Surely we'll go better than 7-5, and may even closer to my last year prediction of 9-3. Do we have what it takes to get a BCS bid in 2011?

Bold Prediction #4: Notre Dame will go 9-3 in 2011. I know that I said the same thing before the 2010 season, but I'm seeing 9-3 again. I'm giving losses to Stanford, either Michigan or Michigan State, and one more just to be more down the middle (I figured 10-2 was a little homer-ish).

Time for a mega-bold prediction! Notre Dame's last Heisman hopeful was Brady Quinn. He, at least, got a trip to New York for the award ceremony. I'm going to go on record that one of the Irish players in 2011 will be in the top 5 in Heisman voting, and I'm hoping that everyone will say I'm crazy when I say who I think it will be.

Bold Prediction #5: Manti Te'o will be top 5 in Heisman voting for 2011.

So, there you have my 5 bold predictions for Notre Dame. Feel free to talk junk in the comments.

Huge love to Brandon for all of his Bowl posts.

Huge hatred to me for being too lazy to proofread.

Enjoy the Sun Bowl, muppets.

Two Games Today

Champs Sports Bowl: Orlando, FL, USA, 12/28/10, 3:30pm
West Virginia (9-3) v. NC State (8-4)
WVU favored by 3

No ones really sold on the Big East this year, and the Mountaineers do not escape this criticism. This team lost to a super-overrated LSU, Syracuse (not their basketball team) and UConn. Not impressing me. Noel Devine is the only reason, to me, that they have a shot.

That being said, I've never really been a huge Wolfpack believer. The ACC didn't have an amazing year, but there was an amazing amount of parity, which I think gives them the edge in this game.

The pick: NC State

The line: Give me points, please.

Insight Bowl: Tempe, AZ, USA, 12/28/10, 7pm
Missouri (10-2) v. Iowa (7-5)
Missouri favored by 3

If not for back to back slip-ups at Oklahoma and Texas Tech, the Tigers would be in the National Championship conversation. Granted, they probably wouldn't garner much support from me, but it would be warranted.

Iowa always seems to get in these games and surprise people. I wouldn't be shocked if the Hawkeyes run it all night and stymie Missouri's statement game.

The pick: Missouri - Their ability to bounce back after those costly losses to win the last three games of the season leads me to believe they won't be letting up for this one.

The line: I think they cover.

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl: Shreveport, LA, USA, 12/27/10, 2pm

Air Force (8-4) v. Georgia Tech (6-6)
Air Force favored by 3

The early start caught me by surprise, sorry about that. Its a shame, too, because I was looking forward to breaking down these two triple option teams.

The Yellow Jackets, I thought, were going to get worked in this game, but I was still looking forward to watching all the hand offs, misdirections, dives, and pitches.

The Falcons had a super tough schedule, what with an up MWC, plus out of conference Oklahoma (a close, three point loss in Norman). Save for TCU, all of their losses are by 5 or less points. Then again, they don't really blow teams out.

The pick: Air Force - I feel like the level of competition edge might popularly go to the Ramblin Wreck, but it was a big down year in the ACC, in my opinion.

The line: Well, seeing the score right now, 7-6 Wreck, makes me think about surreptitiously changing my previously made up mind, but I have to be honest. Air Force covers.

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Detroit, MI, USA, 12/26/10 5:30pm

Toledo (8-4) v. Florida International (6-6)

Toledo favored by 2

This is not the most exciting matchup of this bowl season, in my estimation. That being said, it can't be the worst, right? FIU is in the first bowl game of their school's history. That's exciting, right?

Usually I am very pumped about the Sun Belt Conference winner. But for some reason the Golden Panthers aren't doing it for me this year. Maybe it's because they aren't Troy or Middle Tennessee State.

Their paltry 6-6 record includes four early season losses to top conference teams, none too bad (well, 44-17 at Pitt isn't exactly great), yet they did bounce back to win six of their next seven in conference before losing the final game of the season by one point at home to those treacherous Blue Raiders.

Perry and Mallory form a fun double running back tandem for FIU, which compliment their QB Carroll (a 2800 yard passer) well, so don't count out their balanced offense. But perhaps count out their defense.

Toledo has a two QB system going, something I used to hate and now I love (especially for smaller schools). Austin Dantin has seven passing touchdowns and eight rushing. Terrance Owens has 12 TDs to just 2 INTs. Both have passed for over a thousand yards.

The Rockets also have a weapon in receiver Eric Page. He has gained close to 1100 yards receiving, returned three kickoff returns for touchdowns and passed for three touchdowns (on 4 pass attempts). You know they'll get creative with him in this game.

The pick: Toledo - I don't know if FIU can match athleticism in this one.

The line: Toledo to cover. It seems like a bit of a gift line (it opened at just one point, darn!), one I might actually have bet on.

Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl: Honolulu, HI, USA, 12/24/10, 5pm

Hawai'i (10-3) v. Tulsa (9-3)
Hawai'i favored by 10

Tulsa is a team I love to hate. Besides them being one of Rice's Conference USA rivals, and their coach ditching on Rice after one season, they're just one of those teams that irks me for no real good reason. OK, maybe this is one.

That being said, the Golden Hurricane have a high-flying offense, led by 3300 yard passer G.J. Kinne, and four running backs with over 300 yards on the season. They're well-balanced, but do have a play-maker in Damaris Johnson, their leading receiver, kick and punt returner, having at least a touchdown in each category.

As much as Triggs might not want believe it and hates me saying it, Hawai'i is really good. Sure, they could do nothing against Boise, but beat a very good Nevada team in Reno, for their only loss. The Warriors do their usual air-it-out show, with Bryant Moniz passing for 4629 yards (that's not a typo) and a trio of receivers over 750 yards (Greg Salas with 1675, Kealoha Pilares with 1306 and Royce Pollard with 772).

What separates them this year is that they have a quarterback not from Mater Dei (haha) and an 1100 yard rusher. A running back, seriously! Alex Green is good for eight and a half yards per carry, can you believe it?

The home field advantage is a nice thing, and I'm sure a bunch of Hawaiians and tourists (including perhaps one particular Italian woman?) will be watching.

The pick: Hawai'i - You're a fool to pick otherwise. And even if Tulsa wins, no one really wins.

The line: It's hefty, and the gut says to take the points, but I'll be even more of a WAC apologist this season (look out Boston College) and say that they'll roll (roll tide?) and cover big 80-56.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego, CA, USA, 12/23/10, 5pm

San Diego State (8-4) v. Navy (9-3)
SDSU favored by 3

The Poinsettia Bowl offers quite an interesting matchup. Navy is having one of their best seasons in quite some time, and San Diego State is doing the same.

But the disparity comes when you look at the teams' schedules. San Diego State came to play every time out. Their three losses are by a late field goal at Missouri (24-27), three points at BYU (21-24), five points at undefeated Rose Bowl participant TCU (35-40), perhaps that team's biggest test, and four points against Utah (34-38) after a late fourth quarter punt was blocked for a Ute touchdown.

Navy beat Notre Dame, badly. Us fans had nothing to say about that game besides our guys laid an egg, and the other guys took it to them. That kind of sounds familiar. Other than that, the Midshipmen have not really been tested. Losses to Air Force (6-14) and Duke stand out, and other than the aforementioned ND win and an early season escape versus Maryland, this team's victories are not that impressive.

So what does this mean? Well, that Navy can come out and take it to you if you aren't prepared. It also means that the Aztecs have not, yet, let a team do that to them this season.

The pick: State - I feel like having a month to prepare for the triple option could minimize its productivity.

The line: Navy hasn't exactly played shutdown defense this season. The Aztecs surely have the offense to pour it on, too, and I expect them to do just that. They cover.

MAACO Bowl: Las Vegas, NV, USA, 12/22/10, 5pm

Boise State (11-1) v. Utah (10-2)
Boise favored by 16.5

So much is being said about this game, so I'm not going to. Talk about the game-play, that is. I'm instead going to talk about what this game says about college football today.

We all know that Boise's kicker cost them a shot at the NC, which looking at it now would not have happened, and assuredly a BCS birth. We've known I've been a Boise State apologist, not so much superfan, for years (goodness, I just looked up their Liberty Bowl match up with Louisville and realized it was in 2004! We're getting older, Triggs.) as they've been the face of the small conference for years. Yet as much as them losing bothers me, it kind of does not.

Well, in theory. I'm fine with them losing to a quality opponent and settling for a January 1 game versus a BCS. I am not fine with what, in actuality, that does to their season. In losing a heart breaker to a conference champion, they drop completely out of contention for a BCS Bowl, while 2-loss Arkansas and BCS darlings Ohio State waltz in untouched. Arkansas making it shows how slanted this whole operation is. And who does not think that Boise is better than Ohio State, honestly? They've done more over the last few years to earn anything over the Buckeyes.

Unfair comparison? How so? Both play in top heavy conferences, only one is overrated and one is underappreciated. It's sick to have a team fall so far after losing a close, overtime game to a bitter rival that has only one loss.

This shit happens all the time in the SEC, with two hyped up teams "battling" to a close, boring game and then the media/coaches anointing the loser "the best one loss team in college football history" while the winner plays in the NC. I'm sick of it, absolutely sick.

The pick: Boise - only I hope the Broncos aren't thinking like I am and are focusing on making this game into a statement.

The line: Notre Dame (and TCU right before?) showed the Utes' flaws when playing good teams. Air Force, BYU and San Diego State came close, too. I'll take Boise to cover even though Utah is talking like they have something to prove.

'Nucks "Ha-Smack" Halak.

Who did I name as yesterday's "LSF Top Star Who Didn't Score A Point" from the game against the Leafs? Yes, Aaron Volpatti. And, who do you think scored their first career NHL goal against the St. Louis Blues last night? It would seem as though this blog is starting to gain a power we never would have imagined. Peppermint Volpatti scored, along with Kes and Tambers, and the Canucks rolled the Blues aside like a bunch of little injured puppies, 3-1.

Volpatti's goal, the first of the game, was a thing of beauty. Not good looking asthetic beauty, but more like crazy hard Tanner Glass checking beauty. Glass completely crushed Pietrangelo along the rear boards, and I mean completely crushed him. Tanner looked like he was flying through the air when he leveled the guy. The puck came loose to Bolduc, and homie slid a perfect pass to a perfectly positioned Volpatti, who buried it over the outstretched leg of Halak. You might say that Volpatti is showing a real "Ha-knack" for scoring. You'd say that, I wouldn't. Ryan Kesler would do what he does best two minutes later, snapping a shot past Volpatti on a 2-on-1 break. With 2:03 to play in the second, that hate monger (I call him such, because I hate him) Alex Steen scored from the slot on a backhand, but again the Canucks silenced the opposing crowd by putting an end to things when Tambers scored as time ticked further down on the power play at 18:23 of the third. 

Much is being made of the Canucks inability to score with the advantage four times in the game, including a 5 on 3. However, it isn't just scoring on the PP that matters. It's the way that the other team lacks all ability to gain any kind of momentum, and that's what happened here. Of course, I'm only saying that because we won. The Blues fans are enjoying their complaining today because of a high stick call to Backes late that may not have actually been a high stick. But, when you get outshot 29-16 and out-face-offed 31-22, you don't deserve to win. Sorry.

The regular media picked Kesler (1 goal, +1), Samuelsson (2 assists, +1), and Alex Steenkavonkavich (1 goal, even +/-) as the three stars. Really, Steen??? You don't pick Volpatti? Come on! I can't pick him either, but I will give you the "LSF Top Star Who Didn't Score A Point." I don't do this often, as you know, but how about Roberto Luongo? Fool stopped 15 of 16 shots, including stopping all 4 he faced when special teams were on the ice. When Bobby Lu sucks, everyone (including me, I'll admit) is all over him. When he puts together a nice little streak of greatness, no one notices. No longer! Great game, El Roberto.

7th Canucks, rejoice! We are back in the Northwest Division lead at 19-8-4 (42 points). We've got Colorado second at 42 (but behind us based on their 19-10-4 record), Minnie third at 34, Calgary fourth at 31, and Edmonton last with 29. In the Conference, we are #3, just two points behind #1 Detroit and one point behind #2 Dallas (who I picked in $treak for the Ca$h tonight). There is only a 5 point difference between #8 Chicago and #1 Detorit, which is pretty crazy. I really enjoy seeing the Hawks at #8.

Our 10th ranked offense and 4th ranked defense have helped us to a +23 goal differential, while our SRS of +0.67 is third in the league. We're that good! As you know, I always provide the caviat that we have played the fifth easiest schedule in the NHL thus far. But still, it's pretty cool.

So, how amazing has Ryan Kesler been this year? At the start of the season, he was given tons of junk from everyone (not me) for not producing. Now, he's tied with Daniel Sedin for the team lead in goals (16), and is very quietly having one heck of a season. With all the crap he got, it made me wonder if he had crazy gang buster seasons before. I mean, I love the guy, and I think he's awesome, but isn't a 16 goal-10 assist output in the first 31 games good enough? So, let's extrapolate his goals and assists to an 82 game season (aG and aA are the stats assisted to 82 games, otherwise it's just noted as G and A), and see where this season ranks.

2003: 5.85 aG and 8.79 aA
2005: 10 G and 13 A
2006: 10.25 aG and 17.08 aA
2007: 21.26 aG and 16.4 aA
2008: 26 G and 33 A
2009: 25 G and 50 A
2010: 42.32 aG and 26.45 aA

Are you kidding me? Yeah, kids, Kes is on pace for over 42 goals here in the '10/'11 season. 42! That's 16 more goals than he's ever pulled down in a season. How can anyone say that he's having a slow start to the year? He's off to an amazingly fast start. In your face, haters!

Ry-Ry gets a chance to continue his career high start to the year against Detroit live on NHL Network tomorrow afternoon. It's a serious battle between the best in the West and us, and if we win we might be the best in the West! Let's bust up these Wings.

No time to proof read, apologies.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl: St. Petersburg, FL, USA, 12/21/10, 5pm

Southern Mississippi (8-4) v. Louisville (6-6)
Louisville favored by 2.5

It's a shame when two teams you like square off in a bowl game. Personally, I'd much rather have the good-bad dichotomy gauging my rooting interest. I don't know how many of you are UFC fans, but my friend of Whoop Deee Woop fame, Brian!, has a set of rules to guide him when rooting for two guys who are, in his book, about the same thing. First of all, if they are black, he's in. Next, if they are of any sort of Asian/Pacific Islander descent, he's in. If the two still fall outside of these, he goes for whoever is foreign. Finally, if they're both white American Irish dudes (which is roughly 53% of the time) he goes for the one with the least crappy tattoos.

Similarly, in this game, I find it hard to root for these teams when facing off against one another. I like the Golden Eagles because they always seem to be competitive and I like Louisville because, well, look at the rest of the Big East in football. Plus, Louisville had Michael Bush a few years ago, and he was sick.

This year, Louisville's Bush (what am I, in sixth grade?) is Bilal Powell. This guy is averaging over 6 yards a carry and could devastate a lackluster Southern Miss D. But that will certainly not spell the end for the Geagles. Their offense is among the top of the pack in terms of running (21st), passing (31st) and scoring (15th). Junior QB Austin Davis (no relation) is efficient in the air (just shy of 2900 yards with 18 TDs against 6 INTs) and on the ground (10 rushing TDs and nearly 500 yards). Doesn't this sound like a high-scoring, fun game? Well, not if Louisville's stifling, at times, defense shows up.

So, I must use an outside set of parameters to select my winner: root for whichever of these teams plays in Conference USA.

The Pick: Southern Miss - though it could be a long night if their offense falters, they haven't yet this season and I don't expect them to. If not for two one-point losses (one in OT), this team would surely be in the top 25.

The Line: Well, I have to take points with my pick, right? And for the record, Beef 'O' Brady's is a chain of Irish Pub Restaurants back east. So before you agree with all these idiots making fun of bowl game names, tell me that you wouldn't like to eat there.

...while Reggie Miller gently weeps.

The Celtics matched wits with the Pacers, and outlasted the Indy crew, prevailing 99-88 for their 13th straight win. Paul Pierce went completely nuts, Nate Donk filled in perfectly for Rajon yet again, and Shaq completed an alley oop that made me say, "Wow!"

With things tight in the first, the C's busted out for a 9-2 run, and took a 30-23 lead heading into the first break. The Pacers were never really able to close the gap, until they managed to make it an 85-81 game in the fourth. At that point, however, the Green Army turned on the after burners. Glen Davis and Ray Allen each hit jumpers, and then Ray Ray came away with a big steal that he banked in on a lay up (take that Dunleavy!) to get the score to 91-83 with about 3 minutes to go. The jello was jiggling.

The C's finished 54% from the field, while holding the Pacers to a truly pathetic 35%. We also outrebounded and outassisted the Indiana sqaud, and while they won the steal battle, Allen's aforementioned grand theft may have been the most important. The Green Army had five players finish with double digit points: Pierce (18), Shaq (11), Ray (17), Nate (18), and Big Baby (18). Now that's spreading the love around. Paulie was clearly the player of the game, going for 18, with 10 boards, and 12 assists. He was just out of control. KG was underrated, at a point and a rebound away from a double double (9 and 9).

The wins just keep on coming, and we're now 22-4. In the Atlantic Division, we lead New York by a large 7 spot, and in the Eastern Conference, we're up on the Heat (who, I hear, are very excited about the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell") by 3 games. Our SRS of +9.15 is the number one rating in the NBA, our +9.6 point differntial per game showcases our 10th ranked offense and 2nd ranked defense, and our season FG% is 51.2% (while we hold the bad guys to 43.5%). 

With St. Paulie's amazing performance last night, I thought we could try and compare his value with that of a couple of other NBA superstars, and see where he ranks. We'll look at one "superstar" from each of the six division leaders, and we'll keep the stats real easy. We're just going to compare wins shares this season (WS) and career win shares per season (WS/Sea).

WS:

Paul Pierce- 3.9
LeBron James- 5.0
Derrick Rose- 3.1
Deron Williams- 4.8
Kobe Bryant- 4.0
Tony Parker- 3.4

WS/Sea:

Paul Pierce-8.962
LeBron James- 13.525
Derrick Rose- 4.667
Deron Williams- 7.467
Kobe Bryant- 10.000
Tony Parker- 6.89

I guess you could argue on just who is the superstar from each team, but the Spurs was the only one I was questioning (and I didn't want to pick Gnobli). We'll give a value (CWSV equals "complete win share value") based on where they rank in each category (6 for first, 5 for second, etc), and give you the rankings.

1. James: 12 CWSV
2. Bryant: 11 CWSV
3. Williams: 8 CWSV
4. Pierce: 7 CWSV
5. Parker: 4 CWSV
6. Rose: 2 CWSV

There you have it. Of course, LeBron wins, Paulie finishes fourth (behind Deron Williams?), and the stats prove once again that I know nothing about basketball. But, I'm still a huge Truth fan. Always have been. Always will be. Celtics without end. Amen.

Tomorrow evening, St. Paulie has another chance to put up huge numbers and show he's more talented than LeBron, Kobe, and Deron (combined?). The Celtics go against the Sixers, and they're hungry for #14.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Canucks completely crush Canadian counterparts.

With my wife off to visit her sister in stormy San Diego, it was a guy's night in. My 11 month old son and I picked up some Taco Bell (homemade meatballs and peas for my son, 2 Grilled 'Stuft' Burritos and 2 Chicken Quesadillas for me) and grabbed a seat in front of the TV for Hockey Night in Canada. It was our Vancouver Canucks welcoming Andrew's Toronto Maple Leafs to town, and it couldn't have gone much better. Save a knuckle puck that beat Luongo from the blue line, and you have total domination from the Canucks in the 4-1 win.

The win gave us our 8th straight win against the Leafs, and we did it in grand fashion. In the middle of the first period, down two players because of two delay of game penalties for pucks over the glass, the 'Nucks opened the door for Toronto. Luckily, they didn't make good on the invitation. After making that penalty kill count, the 'Nucks started the scoring with about a minute left, as Alex Burrows swept a puck into a wide open net after a Bieksa shot bounced off of a defensive player.

Despite having four minutes of advantage in the second, the Canucks couldn't convert, but afterward, a Tambers-Kesler-Hansen connection doubled our lead. Six minutes into the third, Henrik Sedin rang a puck off the post that all the fans at the Roger thought went in. After that, the knuckle puck sent in on Lu by Grabovski fooled our beloved goalie and cut the lead in half. All of the sudden we had a game on our hands.

But, the better team pulled away. Christian Ehrhoff buried a screen shot from the blue line (welcome back!) and H-Bomb nailed a sweet empty netter with 30 seconds left. I cheered, and took the final bite of my burrito in celebration.

Can I request that we stop using Green Day's "Holiday" as our goal song? It sucks!

I'll point out that even though Versteeg isn't on the Blackhawks anymore, he's still a total tool. Luongo (27 stops on 28 shots), Kesler (1 assist, +2), and Bieksa (2 assists and a +3) made the top three stars, as presented by Crown Royal. The "LSF Top Star Who Didn't Score A Point" is Aaron Volpatti. Nearly 19,000 fans, including his mother and father, were on hand to enjoy the Revelstoke, BC native's first NHL game, and he finished 4:57 TOI with 1 shot and an even +/-. Here's to a studly career for Volpatti.

Now 18-8-4 (40 points), the 'Nucks are continuing to roll here in December. Unfortunately, the Avs are rolling this month as well. Colorado now leads the division at 42 points, while Minnie trails the Canucks by 8, Calgary trails by 9, and Edmonton trails by 11. In the Conference, we're now 4th (which is surprising, given that we're #2 in the division). We're tied with the #5 Preds, and lead #6 San Jose and #7 Chicago by 1 tiny little point. It's tight in here. The Canucks goal differential is still a nice +21, as we're 11th in goals scored and 4th in goals allowed. We have a SRS of +0.62, which is good enough for the 4th in the NHL, but our strength of schedule is still the 4th weakest in the entire league. It's hard to hear that, but we have to remember it as we move forward and things get harder (?). 

Every time I see Manny Malhotra win a face off, I am sure that he is the best pickup we had from the offseason. But, is he? We'll examine Malhotra, Torres, Ballard, and Hamhuis, and decide just who is the most valuable new Canuck 30 games in. We'll compare Adjusted Goals Created (which is the goals created stat extrapolated to an 82 game season) and divide by Average Time on Ice to get a value per minute played in the average game. Come on, you know you love my questionable fake stats!

Malhotra: 0.911 aGC/ATOI
Torres: 1.202 aGC/ATOI
Ballard: 0.259 aGC/ATOI
Hamhuis: 0.356 aGC/ATOI

Now, we can listen to arguments that aGC may slant toward forwards looking better than blue liners, and while I disagree (because the idea of "goals created" is far different than "goals scored"), we can at least look at that. The +/- rating is, in my opinion, the best stat to compare defenders, so let's run these four through that test as well.

Malhotra: +4
Torres: -3
Ballard: +5
Hamhuis: +2

While the aGC/ATOI stat would rank the players as 1) Torres, 2) Malhotra, 3) Hamhuis, and 4) Ballard, the simple +/- rating would rank the players as 1) Ballard, 2) Malhotra, 3) Hamhuis, and 4) Torres. So, to be fair, let's give a value based on their rankings across both stats (4 points for first place, 3 for second, etc) and give a final ranking.

1. Manny Malhotra- 6
2. Raffi Torres- 5
3. Keith Ballard- 5
4. Dan Hamhuis- 4

I find the final ranking very interesting. While my belief in Manny Malhotra being the best new acquisition has been reaffirmed by my crazy stat exploration, I'm kind of surprised that Keith Ballard sits higher than Dan Hamhuis. That's an interesting one for me. It certainly hasn't felt that way when you watch games, but that's the fun thing about stats. Keep up the good work, Manny!

In about 5 minutes, the Canucks get it on with the St. Louis Blue Notes, looking for a little revenge. Over the last 10 games, the only game where the Canucks didn't get at least one point was against these very same Blues. That Alex Steen sucker popped us for two goals, including the winner. Can the Canucks win their fourth straight road game for the first time since 2007? I think Fin would agree that they will.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Somehow still in first place.

Despite dropping to 6-8 with a loss to the AFC West leading Chiefs, things are still going according to plan for St. Louis. They lost to the Saints, and now lost to the Chiefs 27-13, but Seattle and San Francisco have been losing as well. Now, we're left with two "must win" games. Next weekend we try and deal the knock out blow to the 49'ers, and then in two weeks we look to steal the NFC West at 8-8 with a win over the Seahawks. After that, anything is possible (well, not really, but I'm a fan, and I have to say that).

Damn you, Matt Cassel. If you would have stayed out with your recovery from that appendectomy, we may have had a chance. Instead, you had to be a hero. The Rams started out strong, going up 6-0 after two semi-strong drives. But, we totaled 1 first down in the second quarter, and watched as the Chiefs put up 20 in a row on us. To start the second half, Steven Jackson led a thrilling drive that pulled us within 7, only to have Jamaal Charles go for an 80 yard run on the first play of the Chiefs next drive to seal the deal for the bad guys. It was kind of heart breaking, but we didn't really put up much of a fight.

Even though we went 6 for 17 on third downs, we finished with just 224 yards of total offense (-159 compared to KC). 9 penalties for 60 yards, 2 turnovers, and 3 sacks for -26 yards all added up to a seriously awful game for the Rams. Remember how I keep pointing out that Sam Bradford has the worst game of his career every week? Well, he did it again! Despite becoming just the third rookie in NFL history to pass for over 3,000 yards (which shows that if you just play a lot of games, you can reach milestones), Sam Brad finished this week 21/43 for 181 with 0 TDs and 2 INTs. Truly pathetic. Steven Jackson finished with 67 on the ground, while Danny Amendola tried his best with 60 on 7 through the air. On defense, it was Dockery getting a pick, Laurinaitis leading the team with 11 tackles, and Vobora and Hall getting a sack a piece. 

We're 6-8 with two games to go, and I'd say we're the odds on favorites to win the division. Incredible. Seattle is also at 6-8, with SF at 5-9, and Arizona at 4-10. Our -37 overall point differential (-2.6/game) is 20th in the NFL, our SRS is -6.6 (compared to the 0.0 average), and all this with a strength of schedule of -3.9 (again, with 0.0 being the average). However, and I've been preaching this all season, we are +4 on takeaway/giveaway, good enough for 10th in the league, and that is what's keeping us going. If you can call it that.

A lot of people, even non-Rams fans if you can believe it, tend to give me crap for not jumping on the Bradford bandwagon. I mean, look at how he's turned this team around! Of course, as I've pointed out, it is the Rams defense (a near average SRS of -0.7) that has made this team so much better. They deserve all the respect and credit for this possible division championship turnaround. But, if you still don't believe me on the Bradford issue, I'll turn to stats to make my point. 

First, I'll point out that Bradford is the ONLY Rams QB to throw a pass this year, which shows that he is durable. Right, so I'll definitely give him that, he deserves it. But, when we turn to Pro Football Reference's Advanced Passing Stats, we can easily show just how bad Bradford has been. They use indexed stats where a players numbers are put onto an index against every other QB in the league, and thus given a rating on said index. An index rating of 100 for any given stat is to be considered league average. Keep that in mind, it's important. And now, Sam Bradford's stat line (the "+" simply indicates that the stat is placed on the aforementioned index):

Yards/Attempt+: 81
Comp%+: 95
TD%+: 89
INT%+: 103
Sack%+: 105
QB Rat+: 91

As we see, Bradford is only above average (and only slightly so) in INT% and Sack%. INT% is the number of times you get picked off divided by pass attempts, and Sack% is the number of times you get sacked divided by pass attempts. You could argue that the offensive line has a good deal to do with both, but clearly they are the reason for the good Sack%. However, in every other category, Sam Brad is a below average QB. Not only is he going to be the worst QB in the playoffs, if we make it, but there are probably at least 5 QBs better than him who won't even make the playoffs. He just hasn't been that good. However, when you look at how this team has been over the previous 3 years, it's easy to see why Ram fans have a pocket rocket for the guy. 

But, just because we appreciate stats around here and want to be held to a higher standard than the jokers at ESPN who just make comments with nothing to back it up, here are the same stats for Marc Bulger averaged over those three horrible years:

Y/A+: 85
Comp%+: 88
TD%+: 82
INT%+: 98
Sack%+: 91
QBRat+: 85

Yeah, I think this helps it become perfectly clear why Rams fans are all on Brad's jock. When you have a guy playing so badly at QB for three years, even an upgrade that is still below average compared to the league looks like the next Joe Montana. And I'm not saying that because I think Sam Bradford is going to start pitching Sketchers any time soon. So, yes, Ram fans, I will admit that Bradford has been better than the previous three incarnations of the Rams starting QB. But, no, I refuse to be unrealistic when it comes to how good Bradford actually has been when compared to the average starting QBs in this league.

Next week's game against San Francisco is HUGE. Don't choke.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Bowl Games

So the games took me by surprise this year. We'll blame finals week...and Natalie Portman. I'll get the big sucker out later, but for today: Byu and the points, Fresno State and the points, Troy and Servite to cover.

My Top 5 Reasons the Canucks Will Beat the Leafs.

Each and every LSF match is a fun one. This is especially true when it comes to our NHL teams. Tomorrow night, the NHL Network will be televising Hockey Night In Canada, as they show the battle between Andrew's Toronto Maple Leafs and my Vancouver Canucks. Despite the fact that Andrew has already gone on the record predicting a 5-1 Vannie victory, I will still bring you my 5 reasons the Canucks will win.

1. Momentum: In the month of December, the Canucks are 5-1-1, and have won their last two contests. Meanwhile, the Leafs are 4-4-0 in the month of December. But, two of their wins came on the shootout, and to start the month, they got blanked 5-0 by lowly Edmonton. The Canucks started slow, and are now challenging for the Conference lead. The Leafs started amazingly hot, but are now 3 games under .500.

2. The goalie: One of the reasons we've been so great lately is the surge by Roberto "Pink Floyd's The Wall" Luongo. 14 wins, a .912 SV%, and a 2.52 GAA are all indicators of El Roberto piloting this team through their hot streak. He's won his last 3 starts, and has a GAA of just 2.00 over the month. JS Giguere, meanwhile, has just 8 wins, an .894 SV%, and a 2.80 GAA. During this month, the former Duck keeper has posted an impressive 2.50 GAA (including 1 goal efforts against Montreal and Edmonton), but he was also pulled after giving up 3 to the Oilers on 13 shots in just 33 minutes back on December second. What was Brian Burke thinking when he went out and got this joker?

3. Firepower: Clarke MacArthur leads the Maple Leafs this season with 24 points. Phil Kessel leads the team with 12 goals. The Vannies have 3 players with 24 points or more (Daniel's 37, Hank's 36, and Kes' 24), and have two players (Daniel at 16 and Kes at 15) who have more goals than the Leafs top scorer. The Canucks just have way too much fire power out there.

4. Christian Ehrhoff: Ehrhoff is said to be ready to return to the starting lineup after his injury. With how good the Canucks blue line has been without him, it's hard to remember that he's our very best defender. Adding him back into the mix, while Hamhuis and Ballard are finally doing what we pay them for, spells doom for the Leafs. Might I forsee a shutout on a pitifully low shooting night for our Eastern Canadian brothers?

5. Been there, don't that: It was back on November 13, 2010 when we last played and, thus, last beat Toronto. It was a 5-3 affair, with Mason Raymond netting the game winner on that lucky/weird faceoff goal. How Giguere let the puck in I'll never know (along with how Ma$e even shot it in). In that game, we saw goals from Hamhuis, the aforementioned Raymond, Daniel Sedin, and two from Ryan Kesler, while Roberto Luongo shut the door in the third period on 16 shots to secure victory. The Leafs played a pretty darn good game that night, and still lost. I think it's doubtful that they'll be able to play that good of a game again, and even if they did, we know we'd still win anyway. I like those odds.

So, tune your DirecTV boxes to 215 on Saturday afternoon. Put on your Cory Schneider jersey, grab a Moosehead, and enjoy the Canucks thrashing of the Maple Leafs.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Big Baby better than Baby Bibby.

A big time second half helped the Celtics to beat the Atlanta Hawks 102-90 last night, proving once again that we can beat quality teams with Rondo, Shaq, Jermaine, and Delonte all on the DL (or is it the IR in basketball?). Glen Davis, KG, and Paul Pierce all double doubled in a game where the Green Army finished 53% from the field. That's 12 straight wins for those keeping count.

Remember how the Hawks beat us all four times last season? Ah, revenge is so sweet (just ask them, last season). Despite our hot second half, the Hawks pulled within two at 77-75 in thr fourth. But, Davis, Pierce, and Semih "Tater Tot" Erden all chipped in for a 7-0 run that all but slammed the door shut with about 8 minutes to play. It was smooth stuff out there for a team that is showing the importance of a quality bench. Altanta finished with 18 turnovers (+6 on us), and lost out in every category except rebounds. Despite Nate Robinson officially playing for the injured Rondo, it was Paulie playing a point-forward position all night, and he handled the role well. He finished with a truthful 15 points and 10 assists. He was joined in the double digit club by Garnett (17 and 14 boards), Erden (10 points and a block as a starter!), Ray Ray (18 points and 6 assists), Nate Donk (14 and 5 assists), and Big Baby (18 and 10 boards). Clearly, it was a game where all got involved, and it worked. Even ND alumni Luuuuuuke Harangody notched 4 and 1.

Now 21-4, we're 5.5 up on the trending Knickerbockers in the division, and 3 up on the second place Heat (19-8) in the Conference. In the NBA overall, only the 22-3 Spurs are better. Anyone else surprised by that? Tony dumps Eva, and all the sudden the Spurs can focus? Weird. Meanwhile, our most hated rivals from Los Angeles are 5-21, back to the cellar of the West, and are 16.5 back of the real C's in the greatest rivalry in all of sports. 

The Celts have a +9.5 point differential per game, rocking the 10th best offense and the 2nd best defense. Our SRS of +9.08 is the absoulte best in the NBA. Suck it, Spurs! 

I figured that I'd make the Celtics winning streak seem even more important by giving you the percentage of production that the six injured players have given us per game (aka, what we're missing). Those players are, of course, Rondo, Shaq, Jermaine, Von Wafer, Delonte West, and Kendrick Perkins (who is really a zero). After you see the percentage of contribution from the injured guys, maybe you'll appreciate the Celtics winning streak as much as I do.

Percentage of Pts/Game Missing Due to Injury: 40%

Percentage of Reb/Game Missing Due to Injury: 42%

Percentage of Ast/Game Missing Due to Injury: 67%

Percentage of Stl/Game Missing Due to Injury: 67%

Can you believe all of that? 40% of our points, 42% of our rebounds, and 67% of our assists and steals? All sitting on the bench with injuries? And we're still in the midst of a 12 game winning streak? Man, we're good.

We're good, and we'll continue to be good against Indy on Sunday. Bring it, Pacers.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Kesler's first hat trick seals the deal.

My inability to keep my two post per day blogging habit going, because of covering for another therapist at a different clinic, has been well documented. Working two jobs in the amount of time you should be doing one really cuts into the blogging. However, I'm going to spend every free second I have today to try and pump out a post on last night's Canucks game to give Ryan Kesler his due respect for his first career hat trick.

"It just felt good to get it off my back. I was sniffing for a while to get that third one, not only this year, but last year." Those are the post-game comments of everyone's favorite Livonia, MI native after he single handedly beat the Blue Jackets with his first three goal game. A first period goal assisted by Edler, a second period goal assisted by Samuelsson, an an OT goal assisted by the Twins 1:30 into the extra session did the trick, bringing Kes' goal total to 15 on the season. And people were concerned about his production. Come on! With about 20 ticks left in the opening period, Kes buried a 20 foot wrister after a great drop pass from our hottie blueliner, AE. In the second, a puck bounced over Klesla's stick in the Jacks zone, and Kesler was off for a breakaway. He said later, "The second one was kind of luck. It did seem like the puck was magnetized to my stick." Shhh! Why are you giving away our puck-stick-magnet secret? How do you think we've gone 7-1-1 over the last 9? Science! 

The OT goal helped to bury the thoughts of a third period meltdown, where we let the Jackets get the best of us for the game tying goal on the power play with 7:34 gone. Andrew Alberts would have been the goat for his interference call if not for the OT heroics. Of course, Columbus' Hejda IS the goat after taking the boarding call in OT that helped the 'Nucks get the advantage they needed. The "real" media picked Kesler (the aforementioned hattie), Fedor Tyutin (one assist?), and Alex Edler (one assist, +2) for the three stars. Must have had a Russian judge with an agenda to get Tyutin on there. The "LSF Top Star Who Didn't Score A Point" is Keith Ballard. I don't think the Baudette, MN native has ever earned the honor (or deserved it), but after logging 18:59 TOI with a +2 mark, it's clear he was keeping the blue line safe last night.

Can you believe we're 17-8-4? Awesome stuff, really. In the division, we're tied in points with 17-10-4 Colorado, 8 up on Minnie, 9 up on Calgary, and 11 up on the Oil. I wonder how long Colorado can hang with us? In the Conference, we're in the middle of a traffic jam:

1. Red Wings (43)
2. Canucks (38)
3. Stars (38)
4. Nashville (38)
5. Colorado (38)
6. Anaheim (38)

Talk about being all mashed together. Our goal differential is still at +18, as we're the 10th ranked offesne and the 5th ranked defense. However, all of this comes with the 5th easiest schedule in the NHL, so take that for what it's worth. Also, despite the fact that we're celebrating our hot streak, let's keep in mind that our special teams numbers are falling back to earth (PP is now just +7% on league average, PK just +2.5% up). We'll need to keep an eye on that.

When you favorite team is on a hot streak, I think it's only natural to what to know if they'll be able to keep it up. Not just this month, or this season, but beyond this season. So, I thought it'd be cool to give value to three groups of Canucks players based on age, as a way of separating out where our production comes from in terms of youth vs experience. I know, I know, I'm making up more fake stats. Then, for fun, we'll compare with our dead even rivals from Colorado to see how we match up age bracket for age bracket with those pesky Avs. 

So, we'll separate the Canucks into three groups: 30+, 27-30, and 26-under. Then, we'll make up a fun production stat. Why not? We'll do (Points)+(+/- rating)/(TOI) to get a production per minute played stat, and compare across the age groups mentioned.

26 & Under: 0.0324 Prod/Min
27-30: 0.0182 Prod/Min
30+: 0.0333 Prod/Min

Looking at my fake stat, one could deduce that we have the perfect mix right now of youth and experience. While the 27-30 years olds (I'm talking to you, Tambellini) have the lowest production, the experienced guys have the highest. While the good production from the youth gives me good feelings about the future, the team leading production from the oldest group gives me plenty of hope about the rest of this season (and the playoffs, God willing).

Now, how do we compare to the Avs in such a stat?

26 & Under: 0.0374 Prod/Min
27-30: 0.011 Prod/Min
30+: 0.0367 Prod/Min

Well, if I'm going to talk about us having a good mix of youth and experience, I guess I'd have to admit that the Avs have an even better mix. Sure, I'll admit that. BUT, let's add up the entire team's Prod/Min to help me feel a little better after my admission gave me a little blow to me ego.

Canucks Total Prod/Min: 0.0839
Avs Total Prod/Min: 0.0851

No!!!! What am I proving here? Well, hopefully I'm proving that my fake stat is bogus, otherwise, I'm a little concerned about how our weak schedule may be masking some weaknesses on our squad. 

The 'Nucks will look to up the production/minute numbers in an all-LSF battle with the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Let's bust Andrew's hockey squad and keep the good times rolling. 

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

What the Angels have done/will do.

I was going to post on Newcastle's weekend soccer match this morning, but our work holiday party kind of took that away. Sorry, but that chicken at Claim Jumper was much more important than a post about the Magpies. Newcastle beat Liverpool, which was simply amazing, in spite of what they've been going through. 

Instead, we'll skip right to the next Angels offseason post. It seems like a good time, as the most valuable free agents are getting snatched up, to examine what we've done and what we might/should do as we continue to work toward Spring Training.

Subtractions:

Scot Shields- Good ol' Bob Shields has decided to opt for free agency after kind of watching his career slowly die in Anaheim. In 2009 and 2010 combined, Scot pitched in less games than in 2008 alone, and had a 5.95 ERA with a 1-6 record. From 2008, all the way back to the start of his career in 2001, he never posted an ERA of above 3.86 and had 6 seasons of sub-2.90 stuff. But, after pitching a career high 148+ innings in 2003, Ol' Rubber Arm came back down to Earth, declining in IP and increasing in injuries and fatigue. If no team signs him, I'm guessing he's off to retirment, and after making $21.7 million over his career, that wouldn't be too bad.

Hideki Matsui- Godzilla is off to the A's. Look, lots of Angel fans ragged on Matsui for going through some horrible stretches last season. But when you look at his season as a whole (.274-21-84), it really wasn't that bad. We got what we paid for out of the aging OF/DH, and I think we should be happy. Now he's the A's problem, and even if he has a Vlad-esque return to prominance (which he won't), we did the right thing by letting him go.

Kevin Frandsen- Franny gave us some positive memories, but it was clear that he'd be off to free agency after the season. He's a good enough player to find a home on the bench somewhere, and he'll be that guy in 12 years that makes you go, "Oh yeah, I remember that guy was on the Angels." Kind of like Pat Rapp (2001).

Additions:

Hisanori Takahashi- Besides having a difficult name for me to remember, Taka is a serious first step toward the Angels making a serious bad part of the team better. Our bullpen was pretty bad last year, and Taka seems to be someone who can help out. In his first MLB season, Mr. Tokyo went 122 innings with a 3.61 ERA with an 8.4 K/9. He also notched 8 saves and was a 1.3 WAR. He may be a 35 year old "rookie," but this Japanese native should be a nice addition for the next 2 years. He's also a lefty, which we could always use.

Scott Downs- Speaking of lefties, Downs was picked up for 3 years and $15 million to complete the bullpen restoration project. He's a left-handed old-school Scot Shields. His ERA since 2007: 2.17, 1.78, 3.09, and 2.64. As Andrew told me, he's "underrated and consistent." Those are two things I greatly value in a reliever. He's 34 right now, so we'll see how he holds up, but added with Takahashi, I'd say Downs makes our bullpen amazingly better. 

What's next?

You know I love me some rumors, and here is what we're looking at right now:

Adrian Beltre- Ugh. I feel like I've already gone through this. Oh well, let's try and prove something by briefly looking at his stats. In 2004, Beltre his .334 with 48 jacks. Last season he hit .321 with 28 jacks. Do you know what those two years have in common? Contract years. How about the other seasons? Averages of .215, .265, .266, .240, .255, and .257 grace his stat sheet. Homerun totals never eclipse 26 outside of those two years, with his 162 game average at 25. He's a career .275 hitter who averages 89 RBI per season. Why does every think he's so amazing? Mike Napoli averages 29 jacks and 80 RBI per season over his career. When you think of it like that, Beltre isn't that impressive.

Zack Greinke- That's right, Halo fans. There is a rumor out there that the Royals are shopping Greinke around, and that the Angels are considering offering a Mathis and Aybar plus prospects for Greinke deal. I don't really see how we don't pull that off if the Royals are dumb enough to accept it. Despite going 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA last year to drop off after his Cy Young season, homeboy is still a stud. He averages a 3.82 ERA in the American League (which is an important point) over his career, and I think I speak for everyone when I say we'd love to have him.

José Reyes- I'm not exactly sure what the Mets are looking for, but the rumor is that they are shopping Reyes around. We're talking about season averages of .286, 13, and 66, with an AVERAGE of 111 runs scored/year. If I knew exactly what they wanted, I could make a better call on this, but unless it's crazy, I say it's amazingly smarter to go after Reyes than Beltre. I think I could hang with a Reyes-Callaspo/Wood (?) left side of the infield, rather than a Aybar-Beltre infield. You?

Jim Thome- I'll end this section with the enjoyable rumor that the Angels may go after a season with 40 year old part-time DH, Jim Thome. Now, I know, you think this is a joke. But, no! If we keep Mike Napoli as a C/DH and add in Jim Thome as a part-time DH, I think we'd add a lot more than you think. Thome makes about the same amount as Jeff "Worst Hitter Ever" Mathis, and he hit 25 jacks in 276 ABs (a 3.5 WAR) last season. I know it sounds crazy, but it'd be a good pickup, in my opinion. Why not?

So, it'll be fun to see what the Halos will do as we move forward toward Spring Training, and let's hope they read this blog for some good ideas.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Luongo sleeps through Canucks win.

Before I get into the post, I'd like to give my boy Andrew a huge "LSF Tip of the Hat" for breaking the Andrew/Brandon/Jon post strike of 80 days. Glad to have you guys back on board. This team blog sucks when the "team" part of it goes missing.

The Canucks rolled into Edmonton and straight up dominated the Oilers, despite only winning 2-1. Sometimes you have to look beyond the scoreboard, and when you see that Roberto Luongo only had to make 11 saves in a 2-1 win, you start to realize just how dominated the Oilers were. Did I hear their home fans booing? Man, I hope so.

The old crew was back at it against Edmonton, as Daniel, Henrik, and Alex Burrows carried the team to the victoy. The Twins were especially impressive, even to the point of Coach Vigneault saying,

"That's probably the best game they've played this year."

High praise. Both Sedins helped set up Alex Burrows' game opening goal just 6 minutes into the game. Daniel fed the puck to Henrik, who was right in front of the net, and Hank slid the puck across the crease to a waiting Burrows. AB banged it home with some serious authority. Alex made the comment of the night,

"I could have got four goals just by standing there tonight, the way the Twins were moving the puck and passing it."

Well, why did you just score one? I'm fairly certain that Oiler fans must hate the Twins. Daniel has 53 points in 56 career games against them. Hank has 53 in 59. Oiler killers, indeed. At 7:13 of the first, Andrew Alberts tried to make a play on defense, but ended up handing Magnus Paajarvi a penalty shot. Luongo promptly stopped it, with Magnus not even getting the shot off. The Oilers would put just four shots on Lu in the first, seven in the second, and a lowly one in the third (although, they scored on that one). That's not going to do it. Henrik scored in the second on another sweet feed from his brother, and despite being out of it, the Oilers managed to end the shutout bid for Luongo with 5 seconds to go on a garbage goal for Eberle with everyone crashing into and around the net. It didn't matter, though, as we walked of with a well deserved win. 

The "real" media's stars were Henrik (goal, assist, +2), Daniel (2 assists, +2), and Oiler goalie Devan Dubnyk (30 saves on 32 shots). That's a pretty stupid choice for third star, but it brings us to the "LSF Top Star Who Didn't Score A Point." We had plenty of choices, but I'm going with tween heart throb Alex Edler. He finished a +2 with 16:22 TOI and 2 shots, and his skills on defense allowed the Sedins to work their magic without fearing the Edmonton rush.

Now 16-8-4, the Canucks are 2 up on Colorado, 6 up on Minnie, and 9 up on Edmonton and Calgary in the division. Again, it's so sweet to see the two Alberta teams in the cellar. In the Conference, we're now ranked #2 per ESPN, trailing the first place Red Wings by 5 points. However, we are tied with #3 Dallas and #4 Anaheim in points, and leading the #5 Blackhawks by 1. Once again, we are the only Northwestern team in the top 8, which is only separated by only 7 points from last to first. My boys are kind of rolling right now. We're a +17 in goal differential (10th in goals scored, 8th in goals allowed), we're rocking a +0.54 SRS (making us the 5th best team in the NHL per that stat), and it's possibly all because we have played the 6th easiest schedule in the NHL so far this year (-0.07 SoS). Our power play (25%) is still amazing (+8% on the league average), while our PK unit (85%) is just 3% up on the average.

I think that Alain Vigneault's claim that the Sedins played their best game of the year last night may have been a bit of a non-factual comment, and I figured we'd explore that. 

Last night (v Edmonton):

Daniel- 0 goals, 2 assists, +2
Henrik- 1 goal, 1 assist, +2

Games where Daniel has...

Scored more than 0 goals: 14
Had an equal number of assists: 3
Had more than 2 points: 1
Had an equal +/-: 2

Games where Henrik has...
Had an equal number of goals: 4
Had more than 1 assist: 9
Had more than 2 points: 1
Had an equal +/-: 2

Both Daniel and Henrik played in one game this season where they had more than the two points they each had last night. They each tallied three points in the exact same game about one month ago. And, it would follow that their best game of the year would not be last night's effort against Edmonton, but rather...

11/15/2010 against Buffalo

Daniel and Henrik combined for a 1 goal 5 assists game that night, which would seem to be significantly better than the 1 goal 3 assist night they combined for last night. The fact that the Canucks lost to Buffalo 4-5 in OT compared to a dominating 2-1 win over the Oilers may be what is swaying the decision in Vigneault's mind, but "the outcome of a game does not a good individual game make." Correct? Not only did we find the "true" best game of the season for the Twins, but we also furthered the heated 'Nucks/Sabres rivalry.

Next up is a Wednesday night clash between the Orca and the Blue Jackets at the Roger in BC. At 16-11-1, Columbus are no joke. Hopefully the hot handed Vannies can keep the magic going.

Let's spray the Bugs.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Ramies predictably lose to the Saints.

Before getting into the post, I'd like to send a big "LSF Way To Go" to Brandon and Jon's Servite Friars for beating Mission Viejo to win the Pac-5 title again. If they three-peat, I'm calling out them out for steroids. For real. Also, I'd like to say that I'm going to go ahead and agree with the "real" media when they speculate that the Angels are the "mystery team" in the Cliff Lee race, along with the Spanks and Gay-ngers (see what I did there?). With Carl Craw-daddy going to the Sox, why not drop a National deficit sized chunk on a 32 year old starting pitcher? 

With the Rams playing the Saints, my house was split down the middle this weekend. Me, being a hardcore Rams fan ever since my parents bought me a Flipper Anderson replica jersey that I slept in every night as a kid. My eleven month old son, born on the feast of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, patron of New Orleans, born in the year that the Saints won the Super Bowl, and personally chosen to be a Saints fan from birth by a local Norbertine Priest from St. Michael's Abbey. Clearly, my son makes better choices when it comes to football than myself. He enjoyed his first ever piece of lasagna to celebrate his Saints rolling my Rams 31-13, as expected, and then he made me change his poopy diaper to further rub it in my face.

What do bandwagon Rams fans think of Sammy B now? I mean, I like the guy, but as you know, I've never been a "greatest rookie QB ever" sort of fan. His numbers haven't been impressive, but the Rams defense has usually been there to keep games close. Against an explosive offense like New Orleans, I guess 31 points isn't too bad. Two interceptions right on the goal line, one returned for a 96 yard touchdown, however, is bad. When you get big chances, like recovering a fumble on a kickoff and starting at the NO 21, down by just 8, you have to take advantage. The Rams just couldn't do it. The Saints defense held strong, and we never really had a chance. Our only TD came on a Bradford keeper when the game was already well out of reach. At least Steven Jackson became the first rusher in Rams history to post six straight seasons of at least 1,000 yards. 

1 for 11 on third down conversions really isn't going to get it done. Add to that three turnovers that the bad guys capitalize on, while you fail to capitalize on the three they gave you, and you have a recipe for disaster. The Rams also allowed 3 sacks for a total of 40 yards. Hugely bad. But, on the bright side, we were just -18 total offensive yards on the superior Saints. Sam Bradford, who seems to be having the "worst game of his career" on a weekly basis, went 18/32 for 231 with 0 TDs and 2 INTs. Gibson was his big target, getting 67 on 4, while Laurent Robinson got 61 on just 2. Steven Jackson finished with 96 on the ground. Fletcher and Dahl were monsters on defense, each getting a pick, and finishing as the top tacklers, with 9 a piece. USC alumn and Safety Darian Stewart pulled down the lone sack. 

As we expected, the Rams are now 6-7. Unexpectedly, the 49'ers gifted us a win over the Seahawks, so we're still in first place. And, we now have our most difficult game on the schedule out of the way, while Seattle still has Atlanta and Tampa Bay. Add to that, next week's Chiefs suddenly look beatable, and you've got high hopes for a division title. We may even get to host the Saints in the opener, if we pull it off. One and done, but still one and fun. San Francisco is a game back of the tied division leaders, with Arizona two back. So, it could get much more interesting that the Rams v Seahawks season finalé for all the marbles that I envisioned in a previous post. The Rams are sitting on a -1.8 point differential per game right now (19th in the NFL), and have a SRS of -5.8 (league average rating being 0.0). Even as impressive as our defense seems to have been, they are also below average, although much less so than the team as a whole (-0.2). Even still, our takeaway/giveaway ratio is still a solid +5 (8th in the league), and that may just be what's keeping us afloat. 

With Rams fans, or at least myself, constantly praising this almost average defense, I was wondering who the star of the stoppers is this season? Let's pick a defensive leader! Our nominees are...

1. Ohio State's James Laurinaitis
2. North Dakota St's Craig Dahl
3. Stanford's OJ Atogwe
4. Michigan's James Hall
5. Virginia's Chris Long
6. Iowa's Bradley Fletcher

We'll compare our nominees by sacks, interceptions, passes defended, and tackles+assists. Then we'll add our own value, making sacks worth 3, INTs worth 5, passes defended worth 2, tackles worth 1, and assists worth 0.5. I know, I love making up fake stats, and comparing players. We'll call this the DV (for "defensive value"):

1. Laurinaitis: 103 DV
2. Fletcher: 95.5 DV
3. Atogwe: 90 DV
4. Dahl: 88.5 DV
5. Hall: 61.5 DV
6. Long: 50 DV

There you have it. Based on my fake DV stat, James Laurinaitis is the Rams defensive leader. I think he's clearly the tackle master, and his ability to be multi-talented at getting sacks and defening passes makes him stand out above the rest. Chris Long really needs to pick it up on the pass rush, eh? Also, who would have rated Bradley Fletcher above OJ? Just me. 

Next week the Rams face their most difficult challenge remaining, a battle with the AFC West leading Kansas City Chiefs (or "Chefs," if you're still into that 90's Super Bowl ad). The Battle Of Missouri may have seemed to be in the Chiefs favor (based on their superior 8-5 mark), but they just got blasted by the Bipolar Super Chargers 31-0 yesterday, so you never know. With a win, and a most likely loss for the Seahawks against Hot-Lanta, this could be the turning point in the season. Even with a loss to the Chiefs, we could still be in the drvier's seat for a shocking division title.

Let's marginalize the Chiefs!

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

USC Recruiting Outlook

Signing day is still quite a few weeks out, but at this point in time most of the major programs in the country have enough verbal commits to have a good idea of where they stand. USC will get as many of their commits to enroll this Spring and have them count against last year's tally. Our appeal of scholarship reductions is still pending; as it appears it will not be ruled upon by signing day, they would not be enforced until the following year.

At 19 verbals, including 3 this past weekend, USC has closed a lot of ground on the currently top ranked class at Texas. Rankings aside, the Trojans seem to have addressed some critical needs while still searching to fill other gaps. Let's look at the current breakdown of SC's class:

Position - Name (Rivals Stars, Scouts Stars, ESPN Stars)
QB - Max Wittek (4, 4, 4)
QB - Cody Kessler (4, 4, 3)
FB - J.R. Tavai (N/A, N/A, N/A)
WR - George Farmer (5, 5, 5)
WR - Victor Blackwell (4, 4, 4)
OL - Marcus Martin (3, 3, 3)
OL - Cody Temple (3, 3, 2)
ATH - DeAnthony Thomas (5, 5, 4)
DE - Jalen Grimble (4, 5, 4)
DE - Charles Burks (3, 3, 3)
DE - Steve Dillon (3, 3, 3)
DT - Antwaun Woods (4, 4, 4)
DT - Sheldon Richardson (4, 5, N/A)
LB - Kent Turene (3, 4, 4)
LB - Tre Madden (4, 3, 3)
CB - Isiah Wiley (3, 4, N/A)
K - Andre Heidari (2, 3, 4)
P - Kris Albarado (2, 2, 3)
LS - Peter McBride (2, 2, 2)

As you can see, there is abundance of 4-star ratings among the current SC verbals. It's likely than some of these will earn a 5th star as the year goes on, and that some of the 3-star ratings will become 4s. Headlining the current class are athlete DeAnthony Thomas and receiver George Farmer, followed by solid 4-star recruits Jalen Grimble, Antwaun Woods, and Mater Dei duo Max Wittek and Victor Blackwell. Sheldon Richardson is a highly hated JuCo defensive tackle and should also make an early impact.

Quarterback
If these recruits do not change their commitments, it looks like a decent start for the Trojans. True sophomore QB Matt Barkley did not have the kind of year that would permit him to enter the NFL draft, so he'll be around for at least the 2011 season. In 2012, Jesse Scroggins would be a redshirt sophomore with Wittek and Kessler backing him up as redshirt freshmen. David Sills, currently in 8th grade and an SC verbal commit, would arrive in the Spring of 2015 leaving the Trojans solid at the QB position for years to come.

Fullback
Stanley Havili's role on the team could not be overstated. Despite punching TJ Bryant's lights out, he was one of the clear leaders on the team. His ability to catch the ball, block, and make occasional runs will be sorely missed. We lacked depth behind him this year, as DJ Shoemate transferred to UConn to carry the ball infrequently.

Soma Vainuku and Simi Vehikite both failed to qualify last year, but it looks like we'll at least have Simi in the fold for next year. Two-way standout JR Tavai committed this last weekend and could challenge for a starting spot there as well. I'm not sure how someone is named the CIF Western Conference defensive player of the year and flies under the radar, but that is exactly what Tavai has done. If all goes well he will develop into the next Havili.

Running Back
Either true freshman sensation Dillon Baxter or redshirt junior Marc Tyler will be the #1 tailback next year, with Allen Bradford and CJ Gable graduating. Short, but shifty, tailback Curtis McNeal and redshirt freshman DJ Morgan will back them up.

All indications point to prized recruit DeAnthony Thomas playing CB at the collegiate level, so tailback is currently a void in SC's recruiting class. On the other hand, we've loaded up with so many skill players over the last couple years that we can definitely survive without bringing on a marquis tailback recruit. We still have outside shots at prying Amir Carlisle away from Stanford, and also at undecided NJ tailback Savon Huggins.

Wide Receiver
Last year we brought in three excellent wide receivers - Robert Woods (who started as a true freshman), 6'5" Kyle Prater, and Markeith Ambles. Due to injuries, Prater was forced to redshirt this season while Ambles, who followed Kiffin from Tennessee to SC, is no longer with the team. We are losing RoJo and David Ausberry to graduation. However, we will still be in great shape with the duo of Woods and Prateranchoring a receiving corps which will also include Brice Butler, Brandon Carswell, and Miami transfer Thearon Collier.

I would fully expect George Farmer to challenge for a starting position, while Victor Blackwell is likely to redshirt. D'Anthony Arnett from Michigan chose the Vols over the Trojans, but with Farmer and Blackwell that doesn't hurt too much.

Tight End
Tight end was another bountiful recruiting position for USC last year. We brought in three quality tight ends, including top rated TE Xavier Grimble. Christian Thomas has been spending time at DE this season for depth purposes, but over time should flip back to the offensive side full time - either as a fullback or tight end. Randal Telfer was the other highly rated player we brought in at this position. All three project to have solid-to-elite careers at SC.

Jordan Cameron will be graduating this year, and right now there's a 50-50 shot that Rhett Ellison foregoes his last season of eligibility to go pro if there is no lockout. Raw talent Blake Ayles should have an opportunity next year to compete with Grimble and Telfer for a starting TE job. Again, we're set here and don't need to bring one in this year. In fact, it may not be prudent to bring one in given our reduction in scholarships.

Offensive Line
Offensive line is our biggest question mark going forward. We lost a lot of experience to graduation last year, and some of our current starters are struggling with their first taste on the front line. Zach Heberer, Butch Lewis, and Kris O'Dowd are graduating. Tyron Smith was our best lineman this year, and may leave for the draft. That would leave current starters Matt Kalil and Khaled Holmes, and the undersized Kevin Graf, John Martinez, Giovani DiPaolo, and Patrick Kim as our main offensive linemen. Graf and DiPaolo simply need to put on more muscle, while Martinez is short for a center and may end up shifting to one of the guard positions.

Even with those six linemen in tow, we lack serious depth. We'd like to get at least two more solid recruits here, possibly from junior college. Marcus Martin has been dominant for Crenshaw, providing blocks for DeAnthony Thomas en route to another city title. He could be asked to make an immediate impact upon arrival. Cody Temple has played on both sides of the ball but looks set to play guard at USC. He plays much larger than he looks on paper and will provide much needed depth.

Five star recruit Christian Westerman from Arizona has already committed to the Longhorns and it looks like he'll stay solid there. Also from Arizona, Cyrus Hobbi has been offered and it looks like we have a decent shot at him. Some scouts rate him higher than Westerman. Cyrus Kouandjio is one of the top linemen this year and is still considering SC, although his brother plays for Alabama. La'El Collins has given a verbal to LSU but we have continued recruiting him. Both Kouandjio and Collins are longshots but would be excellent pickups.

Within CA, the class of 2012 appears to have much more talent than this year's class. However, Troy Niklas of Servite has played TE in the past but looks to shoot higher on the rankings as an offensive tackle. His versatility would be well received should he accept an offer from SC. His current top choices are Notre Dame, Stanford, and USC. We also continue to chase Antonio Richardson from Tennessee and Ryan Nowicki from Arizona.

Defensive Line
On the other side of the line, we have five solid commits (two interior and three exterior). The current staff has not been bashful in its attempts to bulk up on this position for next year. Xavier Grimble's cousin Jalen is a top defensive end that should bolster a current weakness - one that will become even weaker should Nick Perry declare for the draft this spring.

On the edges, Armond Armstead has alternated between end and tackle, while Wes Horton has shown great improvement. Devon Kennard moved over to Will linebacker and now to Mike linebacker, where he looks to spend the rest of his college playing days. Kevin Greene and James Boyd are still incredibly raw and may end up at outside linebacker positions anyway. As previously mentioned, expect Christian Thomas to make a permanent switch back to offense.

Three exterior defensive linemen have commited to USC - Grimble, Steve Dillon, and Edison's Charles Burks. Burks is a candidate to grow into an outside linebacker, but will make a great defensive end if he stays there. Devante Wilson is set to announce his decision on his birthday this coming Wednesday, and we have a very good shot at him. He took his official visit last weekend and I expect he liked what he saw.

We are one of three finalists for elite defensive end Greg Townsend, with 4-star recruits Ishaq Williams and Brennan Scarlett also on the radar. If we get Townsend, we'll very much be set on the outside of the defensive line.

Moving inside, Jurrell Casey was by all means our defensive MVP of the year from the tackle spot. We are likely to lose him to the draft, but will get Christian Tupou back after missing all of last season with an injury. Also returning will be DaJohn "Juicy" Harris, who showed signs of improvement, and Loni Fangupo, who has struggled some. George Uko, a 4-star recruit a year ago, was one of the scout team players of the year and could turn some heads next season.

We've received commitments from two outstanding defensive tackles in Woods and Richardson. Both will join the rotation immediately and cause havoc for opposing lines. We still have hope for Florida stud Tim Jernigan and NorCal stud Vei Moala. I'll be incredibly happy if we land one of the two. Christian Heyward boasts 4 stars and camped this last weekend, and fellow 4-star recruit Todd Barr also has SC somewhere on his list.

Linebacker
Losing a whole linebacking corps two years ago, followed by Chris Galippo's struggles to hold the fort down has caused Trojan fans much grief over the last two seasons. Installing the Tampa 2 defense made it even more difficult for our linebackers to contribute. This is one position we definitely need more help with, and incoming freshman will likely be asked to play immediately.

Devon Kennard is a great athlete, but had spent his entire career with one hand down prior to the linebacker experiment. The staff will not backtrack on this and move him back to defensive end, so he is our long-term solution at Mike for now. Galippo showed improvement towards the end of the season and is still a beast on special teams. Hayes Pullard was forced to redshirt last year, but upon his return should make everyone remember why he was such a prized recruit a year ago. Will Andrew from Edison walked on and provides some additional depth. At this point, even if he qualifies Simi Vehikite looks to line up at fullback.

Outside linebackers Michael Morgan and Malcolm Smith are graduating, but I do not think we'll feel that impact too much (maybe aside from Smith's leadership). Shane Horton opened some eyes this season with a couple great games, and Marquis Simmons could be ready to get some first team action as well. Former walk-on Ross Cumming earned himself a scholarship and will look to make impacts beyond special teams.

We currently have one commit on the inside (Kent Turene) and one on the outside (Tre Madden). Turene is a bulkier linebacker and his lateral movement will be a question. Meanwhile, Madden is underrated and is an outstanding athlete that I can't wait to watch play.

There are some mouth-watering linebackers who we've offered, but have yet to make a decision. Lamar Dawson would make a great long-term solution at Mike linebacker. If we could flank him with Colt Lyerla, Lateek Townsend, and/or Jason Gibson, we could have a linebacking corps reminiscent of Cushing, Matthews, and Maualuga.

Cornerback
Our cornerback crew this year was highly inexperienced. Our one senior, Shareece Wright, had basically missed the last two seasons, so his seniority wasn't as much of a factor as you'd think. Nickell Robey was the surprised of last fall's camp, earning a starting spot despite not participating in Spring practice. He got picked on a lot, but showed great development and was a big playmaker towards the end of the season.

TJ Bryant failed to make much of an impact upon his return of a facial injury suffered when Stanley Havili smacked him in the face. Torin Harris had a chance to step up but make several crucial mistakes. Brian Baucham say a lot of action and held up decent, but is not considered starting material at this point. Daniel Harper got a handful of snaps, while true freshman Demetrius Wright saw limited time and Anthony Brown saw even less.

As previously mentioned, DeAnthony Thomas is slotted to play cornerback and despite his size can be an immediate impact player. All eyes are on him to start next year, and with Robey's size he may be pushed to the nickel or reserve spot. Bryant, Harris, and Baucham should challenge for quality playing time with 4-star JuCo recruit Isaiah Wiley. I would expect Wright to move full-time to the safety spot.

Most of the top cornerbacks in this year's class are accounted for, but we may be able to make another splash with Doran Grant and/or Damian Swann. Getting either would be huge to assist with an underperforming cornerback unit.

Defensive Back
Last season it was a tail of two safeties - TJ McDonald, one of our best defensive players, and Jawanza Starling, who often seemed out of position. McDonald's spot is very safe and he is a good candidate to be a team captain next year. Starling's ability to tackle in open space may have saved him his starting job, but he will have to get better in coverage and reading plays.

Walk-on Tony Burnett started in McDonald's absence due to injury and after an adjustment period, played reasonable well. Starling also picked up an injury and was replaced by Marshall Jones, who played just as well, if not better than, Starling. Drew McAllister missed all of last season due to injury, while Patrick Hall was temporarily suspended before regaining his spot on the team. Hall is of particular interest, and could be a very nice surprise next season in addition to Demetrius Wright.

We are still chasing HaHa Clinton-Dix, despite his commitment to Alabama. Karlos Williams is a long shot but we are very much in the mix for Marqise Lee, George Farmer and Robert Woods' former teammate at Serra High School. It seems that Dix is a pipe dream for USC, and Williams is set for Florida State. Lee would be a huge pickup, and I'd be more than happy if he's the only additional defensive back we pick up. The starting spot next to McDonald should be up for grabs, so let's see who claims it.

Special Teams
Kickoff returns on both sides were strong points on special teams this year. John Baxter had immediate impacts in those areas in addition to blocking punts and kicks. CJ Gable will be lost to graduation, but special team stalwarts Galippo and McDonaldo will return to cause nightmares. We definitely have enough tacklers, blockers, and returners to be among the best in college football on returns.

Where we have not been very good is in the kicking game. Joe Houston and Jake Harfman have been quite awful kicking field goals, although Houston did hit some clutch shots. Harfman also had some decent punting games, but we definitely missed Matt Darr when he switched his commitment following Carroll's departure.

This year's staff was quick to address those areas, getting commitments from placekicker Andre Heidari, punter Kris Albarado, and long snapper Peter McBride. I feel much more comfortable in our kicking game with those guys on board. I suppose that Jesse Scroggins or Dillon Baxter will fill in as the holder on kicks.